NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Shaquille Taylor is accused of shooting and killing Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig in 2023.
But we still don't know whether he'll actually have to face murder charges.
He's still waiting for a judge to determine whether he's competent to stand trial.
But Ludwig's parents believe there's no question he is, in fact, competent. And they feel this case has exposed flaws in the system.
"He (Shaquille Taylor) didn’t appear to be incompetent to us at all," Jessica Ludwig told NewsChannel 5 Investigates after Taylor's recent competency hearing.
Ludwig and her husband, Matt, believe there's no reason Taylor should not be held accountable for their daughter's death.
"It just blows my mind that this is even a question," Jessica Ludwig stated.
Metro Police say Taylor shot at a car in November of 2023, and one of the bullets struck 18-year-old Jillian Ludwig, a college freshman at Belmont, as she walked in a park near campus.
For two days last month, the Ludwigs sat across the courtroom from Taylor as his attorneys tried to convince the judge that Taylor is incompetent to stand trial.
NewsChannel 5 Legal Analyst Nick Leonardo recently explained on Morningline what exactly that means.
"When you’re dealing with competency, it’s the issue of whether or not you can assist in your defense. Are you able to understand what’s going on at trial? Can you help your lawyer? Can you tell your lawyer who was there and why you did it?" Leonardo said.
And the Vanderbilt psychologist asked by the court to evaluate Taylor testified at the competency hearing that Taylor is not able to do any of that.
"My opinion was that he did not have sufficient capacity to proceed with the charges against him or, in other words, I am concerned that he is not competent to proceed," Dr. Mary Elizabeth Wood told the judge.
Wood cited an intellectual disability, diagnosed when Taylor was three. She came to a similar conclusion after she evaluated him in another criminal case back in 2021. And Wood said her findings are identical to those from another evaluation done in 2010.
But Jessica Ludwig responded, "Perhaps he has a low IQ, but we were just shocked by the amount of times that he has been deemed incompetent versus the competent man we saw on video."
What stunned Ludwig and her husband were the videos prosecutors played in court to show the judge that Taylor is, in fact, competent.
There was one recorded by Metro Police right after Taylor's arrest for Ludwig's murder.
In it, the detective asks Taylor, "Do you understand what's going on right now?"
Taylor then replies, "Yes, sir."
The detective then says, "I want to tell you, Shaquille, that the shots you fired killed a teenage girl."
Taylor then appears to sob loudly.
"He knew what he had done. He tried to cover it up, told some falsities. He showed understanding, even remorse, when he told them that he had shot Jillian and he cried," Jessica Ludwig said of the video.
And then there was a recording made as the DA's own expert psychologist evaluated Taylor.
You can hear Taylor say of the shooting, "It was like an accident. It wasn't like I was aiming for her."
The audio is a little hard to make out in our recording, but in it, Taylor discusses the shooting, how it happened, and when he learns there's surveillance video of the shooting, he asks to see it so, he tells the psychologist, he can help determine what evidence there is against him.
And later, as Taylor and the psychologist watch the surveillance video of the shooting, Taylor describes to the doctor how it all went down.
The psychologist asks Taylor about the shooting, "Can you remember this?"
Taylor replies, "Yes."
"The video interviews demonstrate to us that he understands, he knew what he did, he knew what the consequences could be. He can use terminology that would be used in a court setting, he understands what that means. That was clear to us," Matt Ludwig explained.
So why does the Shaquille Taylor on video seem so different from the one described in the evaluations?
The Ludwigs believe the court-appointed evaluation process is, in their words, "very, very flawed."
"They (the court-appointed psychologists) used old data. They used old test scores, which is why it was important that the prosecution retested him and brought in experts to re-examine him and see where he is today versus where he was as a teenager," Jessica Ludwig suggested.
She went on.
"You can’t use the same psychologist for multiple crimes because clearly they’re not going to change their position because it would be discrediting their prior work. And discrediting themselves," Jessica Ludwig stated.
Jillian's parents feel the whole competency determination process needs to be addressed and re-worked.
And in the meantime, as Judge Steve Dozier considers everything that was presented during the two day hearing, the Ludwigs hope he will find Shaquille Taylor competent so he can be held accountable for Jillian's death.
"I believe the evidence was clear, and I hope he sees it that way," Jessica Ludwig said.
The judge's decision is expected in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, the Ludwigs hope lawmakers will consider changing the law so people who are charged with new crimes are evaluated by different psychologists.
The couple is also continuing to raise money for the non-profit Rae of Light, which is carrying on the efforts of Jillian to help struggling musicians and support music education. To find out more, go to RaeOfLight.org.
