What is a Kennedy plea? Details explored in Kelvin KJ Taylor's murder case

The 2021 shooting at Charleston which led to the untimely death of Kelvin KJ Taylor resulted in the life imprisonment of shooter Dekotis Thomas who entered a Kennedy plea. Dekotis Elijah Thomas was a resident of South Charleston who open-fired at Sali’s on Central Avenue thereby shooting KJ in the chest.

During the investigation, Dekotis Thomas was also charged with the 2019 unsolved murder of Antwan Curnell but the charges were dropped after he entered a Kennedy plea.

A Kennedy plea allows the defendant to claim innocence but accept the evidence presented by the state leading to the punishment.

The See No Evil episode, titled Fallen Star, shall chronicle the shooting death of the young school sports star in Charleston. The official synopsis reads:

"In 2021, talented high school football star KJ Taylor is killed during a drive-by shooting outside a West Virginia convenience store; CCTV helps detectives follow the trail of the truck spotted stalking KJ's friends leading up to the shooting."

The episode originally aired on January 10, 2024, at 9 pm EST on Investigation Discovery and was reaired on January 17, 2024.

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How did Kevin KJ Taylor die? Details explored

A Kanawha County shooting took the life of the 18-year-old West Virginia high school athlete and star student, Kelvin KJ Taylor. KJ had left his home around 5 p.m. to play basketball with his friends at the local community center from where they visited a corner store called Sali's on Central Avenue.

Taylor was shot in the chest at the drive-by shooting around 8 p.m. at Sali's and pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital. The Charleston Police Department identified 19-year-old Dekotis Elijah Thomas as the shooter from nearby surveillance footage that recorded the grey Ford F-150 truck from which he opened fire on civilians.

Thomas was charged with the first-degree murder of Kelvin “KJ” Taylor along with two other charges but entered a Kennedy plea in August 2022. Dekotis Thomas was also charged with four additional counts from the death of Antwan Curnell in 2019. As part of his Kennedy plea, all other charges other than first-degree murder were dropped and Dekotis Thomas was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

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What is a Kennedy plea?

In the United States, the Kennedy plea or Alford doctrine is a guilty plea in a criminal court of law wherein one does not plead guilty to the charges or admit the criminal act and implies innocence even though there is reason for the prosecution to convince the jury or judge to prove the defendant as guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The defendant, therefore, does not accept guilt but accepts the punishment as one considers the evidence gathered by the state to be sufficient.

Also known as an Alford guilty plea, it is used in a case that is based on circumstantial evidence but favors the prosecution. The fact that finding the evidence was challenging or that there have been witnesses to help the defense forward their case makes for an ideal situation where a defendant can opt for a Kennedy plea deal. However, it can only be used in certain cases to avoid punishment for higher charges.

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Per West Virginia Department of Corrections records, Dekotis Thomas is presently incarcerated at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex for the shooting death of Kelvin KJ Taylor.