All charges have been dropped against the former Central Methodist University football player who shot to death teammate Torrance Evans in August of last year at an off-campus residence on Linn Street in Fayette. 

Kundarrius Kinte Taylor, now 24, formerly of Memphis, Tennessee, who now lives in Fort Worth, Texas, admitted to shooting Mr. Evans twice during an argument on the evening of August 25, 2022. 

Mr. Evans was also from Memphis, Tennessee. The two shared a house with other roommates a block from the university campus.

The day after the shooting, Mr. Taylor was charged with first-degree murder. However, on January 5, Howard County Prosecuting Attorney Deborah Riekhof amended the original charge down to first-degree involuntary manslaughter, citing a change in evidence. She later added the charge of unlawful use of a weapon, alleging that Mr. Taylor carried the gun onto the Central Methodist campus following the shooting.

Mrs. Riekhof said at the time, the charges were reduced because the state did not have the evidence to pursue a murder charge. Mr. Taylor was then granted bond in the amount of $250,000 and released.

Following the reduction in charges, members of Mr. Evans’s family filed an ethics complaint with the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel of the Supreme Court of Missouri and asked for a new prosecutor. No action was taken, and the case was eventually moved to Cooper County after a request by the defense for a change of venue was granted.

Mr. Taylor was scheduled to appear in court on Monday. But on August 3, all charges were dismissed nolle prosequi, a Latin phrase that in legal terms means “will no longer prosecute,” and the case has disappeared from online court records.

“Based on the evidence that I have, I believe this is a case of self-defense,” Mrs. Riekhof said in an email response to this newspaper on Monday.

Mr. Taylor’s attorney, Benjamin Faber, told this newspaper on Thursday that he is pleased with the outcome and that his client is relieved. The defense maintained the claim that the case was a matter of self-defense.

“We had been pursuing [dismissal] from day one,” said Mr. Faber. “The evidence strongly supported that my client shot Torrance Evans in self-defense.” 

Mr. Faber said that, when interviewed multiple times by law enforcement, Mr. Taylor repeatedly claimed he shot Mr. Evans in an act of self-defense. “This was a circumstance he did not want to happen, but that he felt at that time he had no choice but to discharge his firearm,” said Mr. Faber. “The physical evidence did not contradict that.”

Mr. Faber said that the evidence, along with multiple interviews and witness testimony given to the state, corroborated Mr. Taylor’s claim.

Additionally, the shooting took place in a dining room of the house that had been converted into a bedroom for Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Faber cited Missouri’s Castle Doctrine, which states that a person does not have to retreat from his home before deploying deadly force if in fear of his life.

“Mr. Taylor and his family are overwhelmed,” said Mr. Faber. “They’re thankful that we as a team were able to present to the state enough evidence to show them that this case simply could not and should not be pursued as an intentional killing without justification.”

As has been previously reported in the Fayette Advertiser, on August 25, 2022, Mr. Taylor allegedly shot Mr. Evans two times. He then reportedly left but later returned to the scene, where he turned himself in to Fayette police officer John Schell.

Mr. Taylor allegedly carried the gun onto the Central Methodist campus between the time of the shooting and when he surrendered to Officer Schell.

The next day, Mr. Taylor was charged with first-degree murder. According to a probable cause statement filed by Missouri State Highway Patrol Corporal Nathan J. Shinkle, Mr. Taylor admitted under questioning that he had not been getting along with Mr. Evans for over a month and indicated that he felt disrespected on numerous occasions.

Mr. Taylor said that on the day of the shooting, Mr. Evans was making verbal requests and/or demands. He told Mr. Evans to wait. When Mr. Evans persisted, Mr. Taylor brandished a handgun from his backpack, chambered a round, and advised Mr. Evans to stop. 

Mr. Evans then advanced toward Mr. Taylor, who fired the pistol. Mr. Taylor admitted to then shooting Mr. Evans a second time, either while he was falling or after he had fallen.

The Central Methodist campus was put on lockdown for a brief period following the shooting.

“Mr. Taylor is very grateful to put this behind him and grateful that justice has been done,” Mr. Faber said on Thursday. “Me, him, and his family are very sad for Mr. Evans and his family. This is something that can’t be undone, that wasn’t done on purpose.”