Desmond Alonzo Taylor, 24, was found dead on October 13, 2016, on the 400 block of Privette Street in Wilson, North Carolina, with a gunshot wound to the left side of his face. Investigators classified the death as a homicide. Taylor, who worked three jobs and had three young children, was described by his mother Melissa Taylor as a good kid who trusted Markayla Shantazjah Smith.

Authorities say Smith, then 17, lured Taylor to the end of Privette Street and engaged in sexual activity with him in a car while Curtis Tavares Curry, 31, and two 18-year-old males, Coby Marshon Thomas and Jordan Lee, hid nearby with a .22-caliber rifle. As Taylor opened the car door, Curry allegedly fired the fatal shot, then took about $400 and discarded the rifle in Toisnot Reservoir. All four were arrested and charged with first-degree murder; Smith, Thomas, and Lee later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received lengthy state prison terms.

Curry’s case has been delayed by questions about his mental competency and involuntary commitment for restorative services. He was later found fit to stand trial and first-degree charges were reinstated; his next court date was set for February 21, 2024. Anyone with information about Desmond Taylor or the events that night is asked to come forward.