Precious Nicole Taste was a 32-year-old Black woman from Dayton, Ohio, who dedicated her life to caring for others. A graduate of Meadowdale High School and the Ohio Medical Career College, she worked as a State Tested Nursing Assistant. Precious was the mother of seven children and was remembered by those who knew her as having a "heart of gold." A neighbor, Joyce Buckingham, recalled her warmth, saying, "She was wonderful and when she smiled, she smiled and she loved her children."
On
the morning of May 22, 2024, Dayton police responded to reports of a shooting at a home on Shaftesbury Road. Inside, they discovered the bodies of Precious and 16-year-old Deante Johnson. Both had been shot and were pronounced dead at the scene. At the time of her death, Precious was four months pregnant.
The investigation quickly led police to identify a suspect: Nicole "Nico" Cunigan Jr., 32, who was the father of Precious's twin children. A manhunt began, and on June 26, 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Authorities noted that Cunigan, who had been seen in Richmond, Indiana, and may have traveled to Cleveland, had cut his distinctive dreadlocks in an apparent attempt to change his appearance. The search ended on July 23, 2024, when Cunigan was apprehended in Cleveland.
On August 1, 2024, a Montgomery County grand jury indicted Cunigan on multiple charges, including four counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one count of involuntary manslaughter. The multiple murder charges reflected the deaths of Precious Taste, Deante Johnson, and Precious's unborn child.
The case proceeded to trial, where Nicole Cunigan Jr. was found guilty of double murder. His conviction brought the legal proceedings to a close.
