On the morning of March 27, 1991, Donna Ponsano, a 31-year-old White female, was at her job as a cook at Cajun's Fabulous Fried Chicken on Florida Boulevard in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her day began as any other, working alongside the restaurant's manager, Keith Clark, to prepare for opening. The routine of the morning was shattered when a former employee, Feltus Taylor Jr., appeared at the door. Clark, who had fired Taylor a couple of weeks prior, let him in.
Taylor asked for his job back, and though Clark refused, he offered to help him find other employment.
The situation took a dark turn as Taylor, facing financial difficulties, decided to rob the restaurant. He retrieved a handgun from his car and, upon re-entering, held Ponsano at gunpoint, demanding that Clark open the safe. Taylor forced both Ponsano and Clark into a back storeroom where he shot them multiple times in the head before fleeing with about $1,300. Emergency services arrived to find Ponsano and Clark handcuffed together on the floor. Both were rushed to the hospital, but two days later, Donna Ponsano died from her injuries. Keith Clark survived the attack but was left permanently paralyzed.
The investigation quickly led to Feltus Taylor, who was arrested later that same day near his apartment. He confessed to the crimes and led police to the stolen money. In 1992, a jury found Taylor guilty of the first-degree murder of Donna Ponsano. During the trial, Taylor admitted his guilt, and the jury unanimously recommended a death sentence. After a series of appeals and five reprieves, Feltus Taylor Jr. was executed by lethal injection on June 6, 2000. In his final statement, he expressed remorse and apologized to the victim's family.
