Following a weeklong trial, an Anne Arundel County jury found the third and final suspect in the killing of 22-year-old Cornell Young guilty of 11 counts, including felony first-degree murder, robbery, and weapons offenses, State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced today.
Shammond Taylor, 24, faces a sentence of Life in Prison plus more than a hundred years at sentencing on March 30 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.
“The defendant and his co-defendant lured Mr. Young and a friend to a parking lot, where they were robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight in an act that ultimately took Mr. Young’s life,” Leitess said. “I am thankful to the jury who listened to the facts and found the defendant guilty. Young men are killing other young men in our county because gun violence has become the norm. The convictions of these three men mean that our community may be safer and Mr. Young’s family may find some peace and closure because of it.”
Taylor is the last of three men convicted of the 2021 killing. Kenon Jackson, 22, previously entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Jaonte Coates, 33, followed with an identical plea and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
On October 14, 2021, Young and a friend drove from Baltimore to a parking lot on Pleasant Street in Annapolis around 1 p.m. and met with Jackson. Shortly after parking, Taylor emerged from a waiting vehicle and pointed a gun at the men. Jackson snatched the friend’s backpack and rummaged through Young’s car, with Coates assisting him.
While those two men combed through his vehicle, Young wrestled with Taylor in an attempt to disarm him. Young was shot multiple times in the struggle and later died of his injuries. His death came just one day after his 22nd birthday. Young’s friend was unharmed.
The encounter was captured on security cameras. Police recognized Taylor from the footage, one testifying that he had known Taylor while he was growing up in the Annapolis area. In addition, Taylor left his cell phone behind at the scene. Investigation revealed that Taylor went to an AT&T store following the crime and purchased a SIM card for the phone number matching the phone left behind.
Taylor was arrested and remained jailed without bond.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Jason Steinhardt and Brian Pritchard prosecuted the case on behalf of the citizens of Anne Arundel County.
The Honorable J. Michael Wachs presided over the case.
