Man sentenced to life for Air Jordan murder
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A jury has sentenced 20-year-old Deron Taylor to life in prison for his role in a murder over a pair of shoes.
Taylor will be eligible for parole after 40 years.
Throughout the trial, Taylor sat down and listened as prosecutors accused him of capital murder, detailing how he and a group of friends robbed and shot 22-year-old Joshua Woods for a pair of Air Jordan shoes.
Woods had just bought the new sneakers at the Willowbrook Mall back in 2012 when he was targeted.
"He admits he was sitting in the backseat. He tells police they know he's there to rob. Well his friend emptied that .40 caliber pistol, killing him. Equally guilty of capital murder," the prosecutor told jurors.
Mother of teen killed over Air Jordans recalls son's murder
On Wednesday, emotions ran high. Taylor's mother Devorah Perry told our cameras her son didn't pull the trigger and he doesn't deserve to be locked up for life.
"It's just too much for me. I never thought he would be experiencing it. He does people who have love him even if he was out there doing things we didn't know about," Perry said.
The mother of Woods -- the man murdered -- didn't walk to talk on camera. Her pastor tells abc13 she's praying for her son's accused killers.
VIDEO: Man gets life for killing teen over shoes
"She's concern about this young son's ... I'm willing to hold his mother's hand. I want to comfort his mother when the time comes," Pastor E.A. Deckard said.
In February, Neal Bland was found guilty of capital murder in the Woods case.
VIDEO: Trial begins for Neal Bland, teen accused in 'Air Jordan murder'
