The parents of Jillian Ludwig, an 18-year-old freshman at Belmont University who died after being struck and killed by a stray bullet in Nashville, appeared on “Good Morning America” Friday morning and called for criminal justice reform.
Ludwig’s killer, 29-year-old Shaquille Taylor, had a lengthy rap sheet for violent crimes, and in 2021 was released back onto the streets after being deemed mentally unfit to stand trial on a felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge.
In September, Taylor was released from jail after being charged with felony auto theft. He did not show up to court and remained on the streets.
“A repeat criminal who’s deemed to have mental health issues should be dealt with in a facility or in some way that deals with those issues. The answer should not be to release him back into the streets,” Matt Ludwig, Jillian Ludwig’s father, said on the show, adding that Jillian Ludwig “was thriving so well and doing so well in so many ways, in every way.”
“There’s a piece of my heart that was taken from me,” Jessica Ludwig, Jillian Ludwig’s mother, said on the program. “And I don’t know how to feel that.”
Now, lawmakers and other elected officials are calling for changes.
Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk issued a statement saying that current laws for involuntary commitment set a “nearly impossible standard” to have someone with mental health issues removed from the streets.
The statement said in part:
Under Tennessee law, for a person to be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, at least two doctors must have executed certificates that the person is suffering from a severe mental illness or developmental disability that causes the person to be a substantial risk of serious harm to himself or others. The doctors must also find that there are no other less restrictive measures than commitment.
This nearly impossible standard impacts public safety. The law must be altered to accurately balance individual needs with public safety. At the same time Tennessee must provide more beds and staffing resources to handle dangerous individuals.
I will continue to work with the Legislature on these serious mental health issues.
One of those legislators, State Representative William Lamberth (R-Sumner County), said he will take steps to improve public safety after Ludwig’s death.
“If someone’s incompetent to stand trial, they’re not competent to be out in society,” Lamberth reportedly said. “They should be committed to a facility for their own safety and the safety of everyone else.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Why does the name Glenn Funk come up obey and over again when violent offenders commit more crimes after being released by the criminal justice system?
It is PAST TIME for Funk to be run out on a rail!
The problem is not guns!
It is liberals, like Funk, who refuse to do their jobs!
glenn funk is an embarrassment
The solution is fairly simple – replace the incompetent or probably just touchy-feely doctors with objective ones.
“Under Tennessee law, for a person to be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, at least two doctors must have executed certificates that the person is suffering from a severe mental illness or developmental disability that causes the person to be a substantial risk of serious harm to himself or others. The doctors must also find that there are no other less restrictive measures than commitment.”
from another TNStar article:
“Prior to his September 21 arrest, Taylor was charged with a felony for aggravated assault in 2021. The case against him on those charges continued until May 19, 2023, when THREE (emphasis mine) doctors testified that Taylor was not mentally competent to stand trial. Judge Angelita Dalton sided with the medical experts, and the charges against Taylor were dropped as Tennessee and federal law prohibit criminal trials of those deemed mentally unfit. Taylor was released with no conditions.”
Why didn’t those doctors certify that this violent person suffered from severe mental illness and was a threat to others.
This appears to be a case where there was opportunity to prevent such a tragedy. The criteria to have removed this person from the street should have been easy to meet.
Glenn Funk and the three Doctors from Vanderbilt University Forensic Evaluation Team led by Kimberly Brown that testified in Davidson County Criminal Court that Taylor was not competent to stand trial should be looked at for criminal negligence in this matter. The parents of the victim at the very least should consider a wrongful death suit against them. The Tennessee State Legislature need not spend more public funds to write more legislation. we have the legislation, what we lack is competent individuals to enforce them.