Taylor is found guilty in Bonnie and Clyde case

Monday, July 11, 2005 | 9:32 a.m.

A Clark County jury found the male half of Las Vegas' modern day Bonnie and Clyde guilty for his part in a high-speed chase through North Las Vegas during which his girlfriend fired an assault rifle at police officers.

The jury found 31-year-old Kentro Taylor guilty of seven counts of attempted murder of a police officer and one count each of conspiracy to commit murder, possession of stolen property and failure to stop for an officer in connection with the Feb. 18 pursuit.

District Judge Lee Gates is scheduled to sentence Taylor in August.

Earlier on Friday Gates dismissed one additional count of attempted murder of a police officer after determining the police officer who was allegedly shot at testified Jones never aimed the assault rifle she was using at him.

Taylor admitted he was driving the green 1995 Honda Civic that police were pursuing, but said he didn't tell his 21-year-old then-girlfriend April Jones to grab the assault rifle in the car and fire at police officers.

The jury rejected the argument from Taylor's lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Kevin Speed, that Taylor didn't stop and turn himself over to the police because he was in fear for his life since Jones had a gun and 'the person with the gun makes the rules.'

Speed said Taylor entered no agreement with Jones to shoot at pursuing police officers and was only guilty of fleeing from police and in closing arguments Friday said "mere association is not enough ."

"Kentro Taylor agreed to flee, to evade police, but not to commit murder," Speed said. "Kentro had no control of the gun, never made a decision to shoot and did not shoot the gun. Where is the agreement to kill? It isn't there."

Chief Deputy District Attorney Frank Coumou countered Speed's contentions, saying Taylor would have had to have been "blind, deaf and stupid" for his claims of ignorance to be valid.

Coumou said that after the police spotted the couple Taylor turned to Jones, who had "love goggles" on, and told her what she needed to do when the chase began.

Throughout the trial prosecutors argued that Taylor and Jones were acting as a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, working together during the chase, endangering not only police officers, but also other motorists and pedestrians along the streets where the chase took place.

Taylor was a murder suspect in Louisiana when police from Metro's fugitive detail spotted him in Las Vegas in February. Taylor was visiting a pregnant ex-girlfriend in Las Vegas. He is to be sent to face the Louisiana charges after his Las Vegas case has concluded.

Prosecutors said after police flashed their lights and turned their sirens on Taylor pulled over to the side of the road he waited for police officers to exit their patrol cars and approach before he sped off, which began the chase.

Jones previously pleaded guilty to eight counts of attempted murder of a police officer and one count each of conspiracy to commit murder and aiming a gun at an officer. It's unclear how Gates' decision to dismiss the one count of attempted murder of a police officer against Taylor will affect Jones.

As part of her guilty plea Jones testified during the three-day trial. In exchange for Jones' testimony, prosecutors agreed not to oppose concurrent prison sentences for Jones' 11 felonies. At a minimum, Jones could theoretically be sentenced merely to probation, but Gates said Tuesday that was unlikely.

Possible sentences for both Jones and Taylor range from four years in prison to as much as 342 years. If concurrent sentences are imposed, the maximum is 40 years.