Shaurice Taylor has pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and second-offense DUI in the crash that killed 20-year-old Nate Bowling in Lexington more than six years ago, closing out a case marked by repeated delays. Prosecutors have recommended a seven-year prison sentence, and Taylor, now 27, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28.
Bowling was driving home to Georgetown from his job at UPS around 4:30 a.m. on July 25, 2020, when the crash happened near Georgetown Road and Citation Boulevard in Lexington, according to lex18.com. A contemporaneous account from the Lexington Herald-Leader described the wreck as involving a black Jeep Cherokee heading west on Citation Boulevard and a black Saturn Ion traveling north on Georgetown Road, reporting that the 20-year-old man in the Saturn died while one person in the Jeep was injured. That report also noted that the female Jeep driver was charged with driving under the influence.
Taylor was originally charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-offense DUI and failure of a nonowner operator to maintain required insurance, per the same account from lex18.com. At her plea hearing before Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman, Taylor admitted guilt to the charges she originally faced, and the insurance count was ultimately dismissed, according to LEX 18 News.
A Night That Taylor Says She Can't Fully Recall
According to LEX 18 News, Taylor said she had attended a birthday party before the crash and followed a friend home, then separated from that friend and headed toward another friend's house. She said she did not remember what happened after that point.
Cecil Bowling, Nate's father, has publicly questioned how Taylor could recall events leading up to the crash but not the crash itself, the station reports. He told LEX 18 News that the guilty plea marked a significant step after years of court proceedings and delayed hearings.
Years of Postponements Before a Plea
The case dragged on for more than six years before resolution. Court records show multiple trial dates were set and postponed, including one delay caused by an unavailable prosecution toxicology witness, according to lex18.com. Taylor's attorney had said the defense was still waiting on evidence and lab results from backlogged Kentucky State Police crime labs.
Earlier this year, before the plea, Cecil Bowling described the toll of that wait. “This has been almost six years, and it seems like nothing's getting any further. There's no closure,” he told lex18.com.
Father Says Forgiveness Doesn't Mean the Sentence Is Enough
Cecil Bowling said he forgives Taylor, but believes the seven-year recommended sentence is not enough, according to LEX 18 News. He said he hopes the judge follows prosecutors' recommendation at the January sentencing, and that he wants Taylor to serve her time and rebuild her life without repeating the conduct.
Bowling, who described Nate as his only biological child, called him a hardworking young man with a good sense of humor who could brighten a room. He said a child cannot be replaced and that his son's death has permanently changed his family. Nate would have been 26 years old today.
Cecil Bowling urged others to consider the potentially devastating consequences of impaired driving, saying people should not get behind the wheel while impaired and should call someone instead. Under Kentucky law, second-degree manslaughter is classified as a Class C felony, according to the Kentucky General Assembly, while the DUI charge falls under Kentucky Revised Statute 189A.010, which covers operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or above, per the same legislative source.
