Charleston County, South Carolina — A North Charleston man will serve the rest of his life in prison after being hired to track down and kill a man in 2020.
Following a week-long trial in Charleston County, Quinton Anthony Taylor was convicted guilty of murder and possessing a weapon while committing a violent felony.
Taylor has previously been convicted of burglary, unauthorized carrying of a pistol, disturbing schoolchildren, unlawful use of a telephone, breaking and entering a motor vehicle, possession of cocaine base, marijuana, possession of a stolen vehicle, and possession of a firearm.
The Honorable S. Bryan Doby sentenced him to life in prison, according to the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, at 4:39 a.m., Taylor shot and murdered De’Andre Rivers as he was leaving a friend’s residence on Gullah Avenue in North Charleston.
Investigators with the North Charleston Police Department discovered that Taylor had placed a GPS tracker on Rivers’ vehicle and had been watching his movements for several days.
As the inquiry developed, authorities determined that Taylor was recruited to carry out Rivers’ murder by an Evans Correctional Institution inmate named Darrell Kasey Williams.
Williams was charged with accessory before the fact to murder.
During a phone search, authorities discovered calls and messages discussing the scenario, including one text received minutes after the murder that read, “Done.”
Taylor was paid for the murder by a third party, and cell tower data revealed that Taylor and the third party met in West Ashley several hours before police apprehended him.
Law enforcement also discovered a single unfired bullet at Taylor’s house, which matched the casings discovered at the crime site.
In addition, the NCPD recognized a black Dodge Ram pickup truck spotted before and after the murder in the vicinity, which Taylor had hired from Enterprise.
Twelve hours after the murder, North Charleston authorities stopped Taylor, who was driving the same truck, and discovered a Crown Royal bag containing a black ski mask and $11,300 in cash.
Managing Assistant Solicitor Daniel W. Cooper and Assistant Solicitor Catherine Fries prosecuted Taylor’s case.
“We applaud the jury’s quick decision and the judge’s harsh sentencing in this case. This outcome would not have been possible without the diligent work of the North Charleston Police Department, particularly Detectives Denis Woods and Jerome DeSheers. We are grateful for their assistance in bringing Taylor to justice,” Solicitor Cooper stated.
