Nashville Man Gets 38 Years For Killing Belmont Student While Jogging

A Nashville gang member pleaded guilty Monday, May 4, 2026, to second-degree murder in the 2023 shooting death of Belmont University freshman Jillian Ludwig and was sentenced to 38 years.

Prosecutors said Shaquille Taylor fired at rival gang members in a car on November 7, 2023, and instead struck Ludwig in the head as she jogged near her dorm; she died the next day after being placed on life support. As part of a plea deal, Taylor received 35 years without parole for murder and three years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

In emotional victim impact statements, parents Jessica and Matthew Ludwig described their daughter as their "only" and "best friend," condemned Taylor as a remorseless repeat offender, and criticized what they called systemic failures in Nashville and Davidson County's criminal justice system. Taylor's prior violent record included a 2021 aggravated assault case involving shots fired into a car with a woman and two children, which was dismissed after he was found incompetent to stand trial.

The case has renewed debate over how courts handle repeat violent defendants who are later deemed incompetent, and whether those decisions adequately protect the public from foreseeable harm.