On a tragic August evening in 2014, chaos erupted on Burgundy Street in New Orleans, forever altering the lives of many. In a violent drive-by shooting, 33-year-old Terrence McBride was killed, the apparent target of the attack. McBride was struck by ten bullets and died at the scene. The hail of gunfire also claimed the life of 16-year-old Jasmine Anderson, who was looking forward to starting the eighth grade the following day.
Five other people, including a mother and her two young children, were also wounded in what became known as the 'Burgundy Massacre.' Investigators later cited drugs as the likely motive behind the shooting.
In the aftermath of the deadly shooting, police identified and arrested several suspects. Blair Taylor, then 20 years old, faced two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted first-degree murder. Joseph Nelson was also implicated in the killings. A third man, 25-year-old Jeffery Rivers, was charged as a principal to the crime, accused of providing the murder weapon and the vehicle used in the drive-by.
The legal process for the accused was a long and complex journey. In 2017, both Taylor and Nelson were convicted in state court. However, this verdict was later overturned. A landmark Supreme Court ruling found non-unanimous jury verdicts, which had been the basis of their conviction, to be unconstitutional, granting them new trials. In a subsequent state retrial in October 2022, Blair Taylor was found not guilty and was released from jail in March 2023. However, his freedom was short-lived. A federal grand jury indicted Taylor for the two murders in June of that year. His accomplice, Joseph Nelson, ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and received a 30-year prison sentence. In a final turn of justice, Blair Taylor was convicted in federal court and sentenced to life in prison on two counts of causing a death through the use of a firearm.
