POUGHKEEPSIE – Devin Taylor, the 26-year-old parolee who assassinated Darren Villani in August, was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for the homicide. Taylor shot the Poughkeepsie resident during a planned robbery on Mansion Street. Dutchess County Court Judge Edward McLoughlin handed down the sentence after admonishing Taylor.
Taylor also played a role in the Courtyard Hotel murder of a Long Island man in October, with his accomplice, accused gunman Roy Johnson, Jr. Taylor entered a guilty plea in March to a felony weapons possession charge for his role in that murder. In an agreement with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, Taylor was sentenced to seven years in prison with five years of post-release supervision to be served concurrent to his murder sentence.
Roy Johnson, Jr. is scheduled for trial as the “Courtyard Killer” in May. He is also facing murder and robbery charges for his role in the death of Darren Villani. The District Attorney’s Office says that Johnson and Taylor planned the attack on Villani together.
At sentencing, the victim’s younger sister Talia called Villani an “amazing brother” and a “momma’s boy” and said he was “working to be the best dad he could for his baby.” Breaking down in tears, the young lady told Taylor, “you stole a lifetime of memories that he would have had with his child.” The emotions continued as the victim’s mother, voice broken up by crying, explained that she was unsure if she was going to speak at sentencing but then decided that Taylor needed to hear her. With Taylor looking at her with a blank stare, she said, “You need to see the pain you have caused – you need to see what you have done,” telling him “You killed a beautiful soul.”
Dutchess County Senior Assistant District Attorney chastised the defendant, describing his crime as a “violent, callous, and selfish act that ended the life of a loving, caring young man.” Taylor was well represented by Conflict Defendaer Mara Timourian, according to Judge McLoughlin. When the opportunity came, Timourian noted that Taylor’s inability to break his drug addiction that began at the age of 13 led to this sentence, but continued to defend him, saying “He stood up and took responsibility for his actions.”
Judge McLoughlin, known for making his opinions clear, was not impressed by Taylor who softly saying “There is nothing I can say that can take away the pain I caused – I just want to say I’m sorry.”
Before handing down the sentence that was agreed upon by the prosecutor and defense last month, McLoughlin disagreed with the drug addiction excuse. “If you’re telling yourself that somehow drugs allowed you to do this soulless execution, you are lying to yourself.” Recalling Taylor’s criminal past, including prior time in prison, McLaughlin told the killer “You shouldn’t be around civilized people – you executed this man.”
Recap of the sentencing:
