NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There are new developments in the case of the Belmont University student who was shot and killed while walking in a local park.
The alleged shooter has been indicted and new legislation created following this case is up for discussion today.
The accused suspect, Shaquille Taylor, has been indicted for First Degree Murder and Evidence Tampering. Taylor has a history of mental incompetency, including being found incompetent to stand trial in a shooting as recent as 2021.
In November 2023, police say he fired a gun that killed Jillian Ludwig. Legislation has now been named in her honor. It was filed in January, but an amendment on the bill would require a person who qualifies as incompetent to continue outpatient treatment that the court keeps tabs on.
The bill also expands the definition of "adjudication as a mental defective" to include a person who has been found incompetent to stand trial in a criminal proceeding.
It prohibits that person from buying or possessing a firearm.
The bill would cost Tennessee at least $2 million a year and though it has bipartisan support, this bill wasn't originally outlined in the governor's budget, so the bill is now searching for funding.
Lawmakers say they will work to get this funded. That will be determined later in the legislative session.
The legislation is up for discussion in a Senate committee later today.
Editor's Note: In a previous version of this story, NewsChannel 5 misidentified the man who was indicted. Shaquille Taylor was indicted on Monday in the death of Jullian Ludwig, as detailed in the story above. We regret our error.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
