CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- The man responsible for a deadly shooting inside Chesterfield Towne Center will spend the next two decades behind bars.
On Wednesday a judge sentenced William Ezell Taylor Jr. to 20 years in prison: 10 years for a voluntary manslaughter conviction, and an additional 10 years for the other crimes he was found guilty of during a trial last August.
The 25-year-old Petersburg man shot Kimani Donovan inside the mall’s food court back in June of 2020. Cell phone video showed the two men engaged in a fight prior to the shooting.
Donovan died at the hospital two weeks later.
Taylor claims that he acted in self-defense. His attorney, Ed Riley, told CBS 6 the punishment doled out by the judge is above sentencing guidelines, and that he and his client are discussing whether or not to file an appeal.