BILOXI, Miss. (TCN) — A 60-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with a fatal shooting during a 2024 game of dominoes.
On May 30, 2024, Julius Taylor Jr. was playing dominoes with his neighbor’s cousin, Jerome Overton. Overton’s cousin, Rodney Dabney, was also present.
When Overton won $15 from Taylor, Taylor then accused him of cheating, according to WLOX. Taylor went inside to retrieve a pistol and came back outside, threatening Overton. Dabney attempted to intervene and got the gun away from Taylor. Taylor then went back into the home, got a second firearm, and returned to shoot Dabney in the chest. Dabney returned fire and shot Taylor in the abdomen and knee before dying.
Taylor was arrested in June 2024 on suspicion of murder.
Taylor said he had been shot three times by the first gun, but according to firearm analysis presented at trial, the first gun was never fired. At trial, Taylor said, “Yeah, I killed him, he shot me first, so (expletive) him, and y’all just go ahead and find me guilty,” WLOX reports.
According to WLOX, the jury deliberated for approximately two hours before returning a verdict. Taylor was found guilty of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
WLOX reports that at Taylor’s sentencing on Aug. 3, Judge Brad Touchstone said, “Mr. Taylor, you unnecessarily took the life of a man over a dominoes game, blood was shed for something so silly and miniscule, and you have to be held accountable.”
According to court records obtained by WLOX, Taylor’s criminal history dates back to 1994 and includes drug charges, assault charges, and a conviction of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. For the crack cocaine conviction in 2002, Taylor was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by 5 years of probation.
MORE:
