Federal Panel Will Now Decide If He Gets The Death Penalty
posted September 8, 2008
A Federal Court jury on Monday afternoon found Rejon Taylor guilty of all counts in connection with the Aug. 6, 2003, murder of Atlanta restaurant operator Guy Luck.
The jury of five men and seven women will return Sept. 16 to begin hearing the penalty phase of the first local death penalty trial.
Prosecutors said their proof should take a couple of days, but the defense plans on putting on a week and a half of proof to save the life of the 24-year-old Atlanta man.
The jury found him guilty of carjacking, kidnapping, murder in connection with carjacking and murder in connection with kidnapping.
The jury deliberated just under four hours.
There was one black on the jury. Taylor is black and the victim was white.
The victim's girlfriend and partner at his French restaurant was in tears in the courtroom. She declined to talk to reporters.
On Monday morning, at the conclusion of a two-week trial, prosecutor Steve Neff told the jury that Taylor planned to kill the restaurant operator after kidnapping him from his home.
But defense attorney Howell Clements said the shooting was "spontaneous" after Guy Luck tried to jump his two captors.
Prosecutor Neff said Taylor first stole mail from the Luck residence in Buckhead, then began burglarizing his home and afterwards started stalking him.
He said on the day of the incident that he and associates Sir Jack Matthews and Joey Marshall were armed with guns and did not wear masks. He said that showed they did not intend to bring their captive back alive.
The prosecutor said, "There was no question what the end of the road was going to be."
He said when Taylor began driving his van down rural roads in Collegedale that Mr. Luck "tried to fight for his life."
He said Taylor later showed his guilt by hiding in a refrigerator naked armed with a knife when lawmen came after him, engaging in a violent escape attempt at the Hamilton County Jail, and conspiring with Matthews for a concocted story.
Prosecutor Neff said the unexpected account given by Matthews at the trial was a "fairy tale" and bizarre science fiction."
But attorney Clements said Marshall was a "champion of liars." He said if Marshall did not know that the restaurant operator was in the van as he followed in another car, then he should not have pleaded guilty. Both Marshall and Matthews are facing life prison terms unless they get downward adjustments at sentencing.
Noting that Matthews said they were working with Mr. Luck on a delivery of marijuana and that the restaurant operator was involved in homosexual activity and Internet porn, he pointed out that the front door of the house was bolted shut, that he had a large amount of cash on his desk though he operated a "modest" restaurant, and he would not let his girlfriend go in the house.
The attorney said, "Something funny is going on there."
He said when Mr. Luck began struggling that Taylor turned and "shot wildly" with one shot hitting Matthews.
He said if it had been a planned execution they would not have left the van running and the guns in the vehicle.
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