Man accused of attempted second-degree murder pleads to lesser charge

31

A man accused of attempted second-degree murder has entered a plea of guilty to an amended charge of illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities.

Following the guilty plea, 26th Judicial District Judge Charles Jacobs sentenced Kendrick Taylor, of the 700 block of Plum Street, to two years at hard labor, suspended, all but 120 days with credit for time served. He must serve two years of active supervised probation, pay a $1,000 fine plus court costs and have no contact with the victim.

All pending charges against Taylor have been dismissed. In February, Taylor was arrested for the additional offenses of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and violation of his sex offender registration.

A review of the case has been set for Oct. 31.

Taylor was originally arrested in February when he reportedly shot the victim, the mother of his three children, in the chest area following an argument. At the time of his arrest, Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton said he turned himself in voluntarily.

Assistant District Attorney Hugo Holland says the charge was amended because the victim changed her story.

“Her initial complaint was that he shot her and she drove herself to the hospital,” he said. “When he was incarcerated and she quit getting child support from him, she changed her story and said they were fighting over a gun and she shot herself.”

Taylor’s attorney, Richard Goorley, could not be reached for comment as of press time.