In the quiet hours of Christmas Eve morning in 2019, tragedy struck a Baton Rouge household. A male teenager, 17-year-old Gervonte Taplin, was shot and killed in what authorities described as a targeted home invasion. The incident occurred around 5 a.m. on Turret Drive in the Millerville area, a time when the city was still cloaked in pre-dawn stillness.
The assailant entered the home and went directly to the bedroom where Taplin and his 10-year-old brother were.
The tranquility of the morning was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Taplin was struck multiple times and succumbed to his injuries at the scene. His younger brother was also hit by a bullet but thankfully survived the ordeal. The boys' father was present in the home at the time and made a frantic 911 call, desperately trying to stop his older son's bleeding while waiting for emergency services to arrive. The boys' mother had just left for work shortly before the fatal shooting took place.
The investigation into the senseless violence led authorities to another teenager, Koverias Garner, who was also 17 at the time of the incident. Investigators learned that Garner was a member of a street gang known as 'The 300' and had an ongoing dispute with Taplin. The motive for the home invasion and murder appeared to be rooted in this conflict. Following the shooting, Garner allegedly stole Taplin's Sony PlayStation 4 gaming console before fleeing the scene. This stolen item would ultimately be the key to his downfall.
In February 2020, a crucial tip led investigators to a business on College Drive where the stolen gaming console had been sold. Store records confirmed that a relative of Garner had attempted to sell the console, providing the link detectives needed. Koverias 'Juice' Garner was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of Gervonte Taplin. In August 2023, Garner pleaded guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter, attempted manslaughter, and home invasion. He was sentenced to a significant prison term, ensuring that he would spend a substantial portion of his life behind bars for the violent act that cut a young life short.
