Milwaukee Judge Makes a Mistake in Homicide Sentencing

In what a victim’s family spokesman said had been a “huge ordeal,” Milwaukee Judge Jean M. Kies resentenced murder defendant, Kevin Taylor, with a reduction in jail time on Nov. 9, 2023, after she made a mistake in sentencing.  

On Jan. 13, 2023, Taylor was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison and five years of extended supervision for the felony murder of 22-year-old Julian M. Rodriguez by Kies. According to Wisconsin Legislature 973.01 the length of extended supervision cannot be less than 25% of the length of confinement in prison. Kies did not utilize this rule correctly in the original sentencing.  

Rodriguez was killed in his car outside of a Family Dollar in a drug-related murder. Taylor then fled in a high-speed chase, lied to police and falsely blamed a man with an alibi.  

Kies was provided with Rodriguez’s family impact statements. Mitchell Wichman, who attended the original sentencing and the resentencing with the Rodriguez family, spoke on behalf of the family.  

“This has been a huge huge ordeal for this family,” Wichman said. “We feel for felony homicide this is not nearly enough time. We finally had closure then we are called back, the healing process gets to start all over again.”

Rodriguez’s family were the only members in the gallery, all visibly devastated over the reduction of jail time for Taylor.  

“We are human beings, and we make mistakes,” Kies said. “I can’t sentence anyone unlawfully. I apologize for that.”  

Taylor admitted to being one of the two shooters who shot and killed Rodriguez in an attempt to steal his marijuana and vehicle on Dec. 8, 2020, according to the criminal complaint.   

“I don’t understand why a fix or a little bit of weed is worth killing someone over,” Kies said. 

Security camera footage from the Family Dollar covering the parking lot where the crime occurred captured the incident. This video was played at the original sentencing.  

“The video I saw the first time around was disturbing, that is why I decided not to show it again,” Kies said. 

A witness provided the police with the license plate of Taylor’s car. Several hours after the homicide, the police located his vehicle. Undercover officers, conducting surveillance of the vehicle, noticed the lights flash, as if someone was using the key fob. Taylor and his girlfriend were seen getting into a different car and the police followed them. Officers saw Taylor fail to stop at a stop sign and pulled him over. As the officer began to exit the squad car, Taylor accelerated in an attempt to flee, according to the criminal complaint.  

Taylor reached speeds of 80 mph, disregarding stop signs and red lights.  

“He showed no regard for his life, the public’s life and quite frankly his girlfriend’s life,” the prosecutor said.  

In an attempt to make a sudden turn, Taylor lost control and the vehicle ran into a house on West Scott Street. He got out of the car and took off running. Officers yelled for him to show his hands and stop running, but he continued until the officers physically stopped him.

Once taken into custody, Taylor did not admit to the crime initially. He gave the police more than one false name and age.  

He told the police a man with the nickname “Squally” was involved in the crime. The Milwaukee Police Department located “Squally” and arrested him. However, after further investigation, it was discovered that at the time of the crime, he was at work in Florida with his timecard to prove it.  

“Instead of stopping and manning up you get involved in a chase and give the police a false name,” Kies said.  

At the time of this crime, Taylor was already under supervision for previous offenses.

Taylor was convicted on March 10, 2016, for the felony offense of second-degree reckless endangering safety in Milwaukee. He was sentenced to three years of confinement and released with extended supervision on Feb. 25, 2020, according to CCAP records. Less than 10 months had passed before the murder of Rodriguez.  

“Criminal records should be considered,” the prosecutor said.  

He had been convicted of second-degree recklessly endangering safety with an additional count of fleeing in Fon du Lac, Wis. In March 2016, Taylor was granted a domestic abuse injunction, prohibiting him from possessing a firearm. He was then convicted of violating this injunction, according to CCAP records.

In the original sentencing, Taylor described addiction issues he has faced in his life. He was given the option to make a statement at the re-sentencing and declined.  

“We take the same stance entirely as we did on Jan. 13, 2023,” the defense said. “Intentionally not presenting any new information.”  

Kies brought up the epidemic of gun violence in Milwaukee. There have been 161 homicides in Milwaukee so far in 2023. In 2022 there were 224 homicides and in 2020, the year of this crime, there were 204 homicides in Milwaukee, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Homicide Tracker. 

Julian Rodriguez had ambitions to become a mason and was described as not a perfect person, but someone with a good heart who meant a great deal to the people in his life. 

“We cannot have more homicides, we cannot have more gun violence,” Judge Kies said.

Kies changed Taylor’s sentencing from 20 years in prison with 5 years of extended supervision to 18 years in prison with 7 years of extended supervision.

“I didn’t mean to drag you through this all again,” Judge Kies said. “Thank you for letting me try to fix this situation.”