WALL TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Tennessee man has been sentenced to decades in prison following the 2023 death of a college student from Wall Township.
Shaquille Taylor, 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Jillian Ludwig, a Belmont University student who arrived in Nashville just months earlier from her home in New Jersey.
Ludwig, who was 18 years old at the time, was shot by a stray bullet from a nearby shooting while walking on the track in Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park.
She was then taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she died the next day.
According to Prosecutor Jan Norman and Deputy District Attorney Roger Moore, Taylor was part of a gang and was shooting at another gang inside a car at the time of the incident, but one of the bullets ended up striking Ludwig in the head.
Taylor was ultimately sentenced to 38 years in prison, without the chance for parole.
“There is no worse pain than a father who loses his only daughter to murder,” said Jillian’s father, Matthew Ludwig, following Taylor’s guilty plea.
Jillian’s mother, Jessica, added: “Until that glorious day when we shall meet again, I love you, Jillian.”
Both parents spoke through tears, sharing Ludwig's final moments and the pain they’ve endured.
In court, a statement was read on behalf of Taylor at the stand, in which he told Ludwig’s parents that he wished he could take the bullet back.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ludwig, I’m sorry for your loss. I wish I could take that bullet back,” the statement said. “I was not aiming for your daughter at all. If I would have known she was walking in the park, I would’ve never shot her way that evening.”
Ludwig’s case has drawn widespread attention, largely due to ongoing questions about Taylor’s mental capacity.
According to prosecutors, Taylor had a history of criminal activity, but when he was deemed “incompetent to stand trial” by medical professionals from previous evaluations, the District Attorney’s Office was forbidden from prosecuting and he was released.
Just 12 days after his release, Ludwig was shot and killed, authorities said.
Ludwig’s death prompted District Attorney Glenn Funk, along with Ludwig’s family and Tennessee state legislators, to create “Jillian’s Law,” which requires certain defendants found incompetent to stand trial to be committed for treatment, rather than just released.
It also prohibits those individuals from possessing a firearm, authorities said.
Going forward, the Ludwig family now plans on helping other states draft similar legislation and has even set up a non-profit called the Rae of Light Foundation to assist in that effort.
The foundation also provides scholarships to budding musicians, as Ludwig was a talented singer and musician who came to Belmont University to continue her musical career.
Today, she is not just remembered by friends, family and community members, but also enshrined in Wall Township, as the town dedicated a gazebo at Orchard Park in her memory over the summer.
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