Parents Rip Gang Member Who Killed Belmont Freshman Jillian Ludwig in Sentencing

The parents of Belmont University freshman Jillian Ludwig, shot dead while jogging near her Nashville dorm in 2023, condemned her killer after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Monday.

On Nov. 7, 2023, Ludwig was running in a park close to her university dormitory when Shaquille Taylor, a self-admitted gang member, fired shots at rival gang members in a car. He missed his targets but struck Ludwig in the head. She was placed on life support and died the next day.

Under a plea agreement, Taylor received 35 years for the murder with no possibility of parole and three years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Jillian's mother, Jessica Ludwig, gave a victim impact statement after the guilty plea. She set up a large photograph of her daughter in a standing frame facing Taylor on the witness stand.

Jessica called her daughter "extraordinary" and said Jillian "left a lasting mark on everyone fortunate enough to know her." "To me she was more than just my only daughter," Jessica said. "She was my best friend."

She then turned on Taylor. "The man who is being sentenced today is the exact opposite," she said. "A man with a list of crimes so long it is shocking. A man who hurts people and families, and not only lacks compassion and remorse but one who has been known to even brag about his crimes. A man who proudly goes by the gang nickname 'the reaper.' Let that sink in. What does that tell you?"

Jessica added that Taylor "has no regard for human life," and looking at him gave her chills.

Jillian's father, Matthew Ludwig, also spoke. "I hope he does not see life outside of prison," he said. He expressed some sympathy for Taylor's tough upbringing, which he said left him "unfortunately destined for a life of crime." "But he needs to be in jail," he said. "For us today, 38 years will have to do."

"Imagine reading the autopsy report for your 18-year-old daughter," Matthew said. "No drugs or alcohol in her system. Perfect weight. Gunshot to the head. There is no worse pain than a father who loses his only daughter to murder."

Both parents criticized systemic failures in Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee's criminal justice system.

Taylor's violent criminal record dated to 2015 and included an assault conviction. In 2021, he faced three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm for allegedly shooting into a vehicle with a woman and her two young children. That case was dismissed after he was ruled incompetent to stand trial.

Taylor also faced a 2023 auto theft charge before Ludwig's killing. He had an active arrest warrant at the time.

"In 2023, I trusted Nashville, Tennessee, to keep my daughter safe for four years as she ventured off into the world to succeed, to thrive," Matthew said. "But in only 83 days, Nashville failed her and us so miserably."

The Ludwigs helped pass "Jillian's Law" in 2024. The measure bars release of alleged criminals found mentally incompetent to stand trial without supervision or treatment.

Fox News Digital contacted the Nashville Public Defender's office.