Kundarrius Kinte Taylor, the 23 -year-old man charged in the shooting death of fellow Central Methodist University football player and roommate Torrance Evans on August 25, was granted bond in the amount of $250,000 Thursday morning in Howard County Court.

Bond was posted this afternoon and Mr. Taylor was released from jail.

On January 5, Howard County Prosecuting Attorney Deborah Riekhof amended the original charge of first-degree murder down to first-degree involuntary manslaughter, citing a change in evidence. Since then, she has added the charge of unlawful use of a weapon, a Class E felony, due to the allegation that Mr. Taylor carried the gun onto the Central Methodist campus directly after the shooting.

During the hearing on January 5, Associate Circuit Judge Mason Gebhardt denied bond. Mr. Taylor waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the charge of involuntary manslaughter, at which time the case was bound over to Circuit Court.

On Wednesday, Mr. Taylor, alongside his attorney Benjamin Sidney Faber, waived formal arraignment and pleaded not guilty to both charges. The court also took up an amended motion for bond reduction, which Mr. Faber filed on Tuesday, asking the court to grant a bond in the amount of $50,000.

Arguing before Circuit 14 Presiding Judge Scott Hayes, Mr. Faber cited provisions of Missouri Supreme Court rule 33.01, which entitles criminal defendants to be released on bond pending trial. A subsection of that law instructs the court to take into account the nature and circumstances of the offense; the weight of the evidence against the defendant; family ties, employment, and financial resources, including the ability to pay; character and mental condition; the length of the defendant’s residence in the community; the defendant’s record of convictions; and the defendant’s record of appearance at court proceedings, among other factors.

Mr. Favor argued that Mr. Taylor has no criminal history and said he could supply around a dozen witnesses who would testify that his client’s character is “cool-headed” and “friendly.” He said Mr. Taylor’s mental health is sound but that he does suffer from pain due to a former hip surgery and that he has a heart condition involving an enlarged aorta, for which he was recently taken to an emergency room.

Judge Hayes inquired whether Mr. Taylor had left the scene after he shot Mr. Evans. Mr. Faber responded that his client did indeed leave because he was looking for his football coaches. The Central Methodist football coaches eventually instructed him, over the phone, to go back to the house where the shooting occurred and wait for police, explained Mr. Faber.

Mrs. Riekhof offered no objection to the request for bond and said the state has no evidence to the contrary.

Mr. Taylor hails from Memphis, Tennessee. If released on bond, he would go to live with his mother in Texas, Mr. Faber told the court. His only ties to the Fayette community involve his history as a football player and student at Central Methodist University.

Judge Hayes said that with all factors considered and the facts that Mr. Taylor has no ties to the community and has multiple places he could go to stay away from the process of the court, the bond would be set at $250,000, with a surety authorized.

The judge also set special bond conditions that forbid Mr. Taylor from having contact with the victim’s family and possessing weapons. He also included a requirement that Mr. Taylor executes a waiver of extradition before leaving the state. The condition was put in place so the court would not have to execute a governor’s warrant to retrieve Mr. Taylor from another state in the event he does not show up for court.

As was previously reported in the Advertiser, Mr. Taylor was charged with first-degree murder on the afternoon of August 26, the day after he allegedly shot Mr. Evans two times at an off-campus rental home on Linn Street in Fayette, about a block from the university campus. He then reportedly left but later reappeared at the scene, where he turned himself in to Fayette police officer John Schell.

Mr. Taylor allegedly carried the gun onto the Central Methodist campus between the time of the shooting and when he surrendered to Officer Schell.

According to a probable cause statement filed by Missouri State Highway Patrol Corporal Nathan J. Shinkle, Mr. Taylor admitted under questioning that he had not been getting along with Mr. Evans for over a month and indicated that he felt disrespected on numerous occasions.

Mr. Taylor said that on the day of the shooting, Mr. Evans was making verbal requests and/or demands. He told Mr. Evans to wait. When Mr. Evans persisted, Mr. Taylor brandished a handgun from his backpack, chambered a round, and advised Mr. Evans to stop. 

Mr. Evans then advanced toward Mr. Taylor, who fired the pistol. Mr. Taylor admitted to then shooting Mr. Evans a second time, either while he was falling or after he had fallen.

The Central Methodist campus was put on lockdown for a brief period following the shooting.

Mr. Taylor apparently told law enforcement that he had shot Mr. Evans, although Mr. Faber disagreed, saying that an officer actually made the statement.

First-degree involuntary manslaughter carries a punishment of three to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

Mr. Taylor is due back in Howard County court at 9 a.m. on February 22 for a status hearing.