The family of a college freshman who was killed by a stray bullet in 2023 expressed outrage on Monday after the man responsible for her death entered into a plea deal to avoid a life sentence.
Plea Deal and Sentencing
Shaquille Taylor, 32, of Nashville, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the November 7, 2023 fatal shooting of 18-year-old Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig, as well as an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge stemming from a previous incident, according to WZTV. He had been facing charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault before the plea deal, which also saw other charges, including attempted first-degree murder, dismissed.
Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Steve Dozier sentenced Taylor to 35 years in prison without the possibility of release for the murder charge, and an additional three years with possible reduction for the assault charge. However, Ludwig's parents, Jessica and Matthew, said the 38 years Taylor will now serve is 'not enough.'
'I still think it should have been life,' Jessica Ludwig told WSMV. 'He needs to be in jail forever,' Matthew added, before stating that the 38-year sentence will 'have to do.'
Victim Impact Statements
The heartbroken parents delivered powerful victim impact statements, urging Judge Dozier to impose the harshest punishment available. 'There is no worse pain than a father who loses his only daughter to murder,' Matthew said in his remarks. Both parents spoke through tears as they shared Jillian's final moments and the pain they have endured.
Their daughter was jogging in the Edgehill neighborhood of Nashville on November 7, 2023, when she was fatally struck in the head by a stray bullet. Taylor admitted to firing shots before handing the gun to another person and was later arrested after police said he fired at a car carrying members of a rival gang. Ludwig, a New Jersey native studying Music Business, was found about an hour after the shooting and died the following day.
Taylor's Apology
In a statement read on his behalf, Taylor expressed remorse: 'Mr and Mrs Ludwig, I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish I could take that bullet back. I was not aiming for your daughter at all. If I would have known she was walking in the park, I would've never shot her way that evening.'
Competency Ruling
Taylor's sentencing comes nearly one year after he was found competent to stand trial. Judge Dozier determined in July that Taylor, despite a documented intellectual disability and low IQ scores (as low as 56), sufficiently understood the legal proceedings and could participate in his defense. The judge emphasized that IQ alone was not the deciding factor, but rather Taylor's practical understanding of the legal process.
Jillian's Law
The case highlighted a serious gap in Tennessee's legal system. Taylor had been accused of other violent crimes but was released just 12 days before Ludwig was killed, after multiple psychological evaluations found him incompetent to stand trial. He did not meet the threshold for involuntary commitment at the time. In July 2024, 'Jillian's Law,' sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth, was passed unanimously. It now requires felony defendants found incompetent to stand trial to be committed for treatment and prohibits them from owning or possessing guns.
'It was a really dangerous loophole... it took somebody losing her life to make change,' Jessica said. She and Matthew are now working with Jillian's foundation, 'Rae of Light,' to close similar gaps in justice systems across the country. 'This is a problem, not just here,' Matthew said. 'It's all over the place... Laws are different in different states, but none of them is perfect. So that's what we're working on now.'
Jessica added that their daughter 'was a fighter' and she knows 'she would want us to keep fighting for her.' The parents said they are thankful to still have recordings of Jillian's music. 'I'm thankful that we still have some of her songs, that we can still hear her voice,' Jessica said.
