On a late winter evening in Shreveport, Louisiana, the life of 18-year-old JaDerris Montrell Taylor, a Black male, was cut short by gunfire. On February 25, 2020, patrol officers responded to a call just after 7:00 p.m. in the 9000 block of South Shreveport Drive, where they found Taylor lying in the roadway. He had been shot multiple times and was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical personnel.
The initial investigation painted a grim picture of a young man lured to his death.
Investigators worked through the night, piecing together evidence that soon pointed to two individuals: 19-year-old Traveon Cannon and 21-year-old Kasey Howard. Detectives determined that Cannon and Howard had enticed Taylor to the location with the intention of killing him. Within a short period, both suspects were located and taken into custody. Following interviews with detectives, Cannon and Howard were arrested and booked into the Shreveport City Jail, each facing a charge of second-degree murder. The investigation revealed that Taylor had been a friend of Cannon's, who had invited him to go shoot a gun and meet some women. Surveillance footage captured Cannon and his accomplice picking Taylor up in a car before driving him to the remote location where his life would end.
The evidence against the pair was substantial. Cannon's phone, containing numerous text messages planning the abduction and murder, was discovered near Taylor's body. The phone also held photos of Cannon with a weapon that matched the shell casings found at the scene. Faced with this evidence, Cannon confessed to his involvement in the crime. In a turn of events, on October 13, 2022, as his jury was being selected, Traveon Cannon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to a mandatory life term in prison.
As part of his plea, Cannon had agreed to testify against his co-defendant, Kasey Howard. During his own trial, Howard was ultimately convicted of a lesser charge of negligent homicide. In a stark contrast to his accomplice's life sentence, Howard received a five-year sentence with hard labor for his role in the death of JaDerris Montrell Taylor.
