A Lucas County judge has sent Toledoan Lawrenczel Taylor to prison for 13 years for preying on others despite Taylor having a limited criminal record.
On Monday, Taylor, 22, of the 200 block of East Pearl Street, entered an Alford plea — not admitting guilt — to a lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter with a firearm specification, which was originally a charge of murder, along with aggravated robbery.
He was found guilty in the shooting death of Corey Bowman, Jr., 22, and robbing a man selling a gaming system, both of which happened in September, 2016.
Prosecutors say Taylor connected with both Mr. Bowman and the game seller on Facebook Messenger.
“You identified, you targeted those individuals and you methodically went about preying upon those individuals. That’s trouble,” Judge Myron Duhart said. “Mr. Taylor, no matter how old you are, when you are a predator and you prey upon individuals in this community, this court has to take that into consideration. And I take that seriously. Predators need to be locked up, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Judge Duhart immediately sentenced Taylor to 13 years in prison. He faced up to 25 years behind bars.
Additional charges of aggravated robbery with a gun specification and tampering with evidence were dismissed. The plea negotiations were offered because of evidentiary reasons, the prosecutor said.
One of Taylor’s three attorneys, Phillip Carlisle, said his client understands he will be going to prison for some time, though Taylor plans to take advantage of programs and services to become a productive member of society when he is released from prison.
Taylor declined to comment in court.
On Sept. 10, 2016, Mr. Bowman agreed to sell Taylor marijuana, and the two met in the 200 block of East Hudson Street, assistant county prosecutor Charles McDonald said.
During the exchange, Taylor shot and killed Mr. Bowman with a pistol. The bullet went through Mr. Bowman’s left arm, into both lobes of his lungs, and through his heart, a Lucas County coroner’s report showed. The death was ruled a homicide.
Mr. Bowman was found in the grass, with money still in his hands, though the marijuana was taken, Mr. McDonald said.
Mr. Bowman’s infant daughter was in the back seat of a vehicle during the incident, but she was unharmed.
Witnesses saw Taylor running from the vehicle following the gunshot, the prosecutor said.
On Sept. 28, 2016, Taylor agreed to buy a video game system from another person over social media. The two negotiated a price and agreed to meet near East Hudson and Chestnut Street — just blocks from the first robbery. When meeting the seller, Taylor pointed a gun at him and took the game system, Mr. McDonald said.
First Published January 14, 2019, 8:37 p.m.
