She was just out for a jog — now a new law bears her name.
It was an ordinary November afternoon in Nashville. Eighteen-year-old Jillian Ludwig, a freshman at Belmont University, had laced up her sneakers and gone out for a walk — a simple, quiet break from college life. She had no way of knowing it would be her last.
Jillian never came back from that walk.
A stray bullet, fired blocks away during an unrelated shooting, struck her in the head. She wasn’t discovered for nearly an hour. By the time she reached the hospital, her condition was described as “extremely critical.” Overnight, the news no family should ever hear was delivered: Jillian was gone.
Her death sent shockwaves across Tennessee in 2023, when this happened.
Not only for its senselessness, but because of who pulled the trigger and how he was free in the first place.
A broken system let her killer walk free
Shaquille Taylor, the man accused of firing the gun that killed Jillian, wasn’t targeting her.
Authorities say he was aiming at a car near the Edgehill MDHA housing complex when one of the bullets strayed.
Police also stated that Taylor, who was arrested, confessed to firing the shots before handing the gun off to someone else. Since then, the legal process has been ongoing, but Taylor has yet to be convicted for Jillian’s murder.
What stunned the public even more was the realization that the entire tragedy might have been preventable. Before the killing of Jillian, Taylor had faced serious charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Yet three different psychiatric evaluations had found him incompetent to stand trial. And under Tennessee law at the time, if someone wasn’t considered a danger to themselves or others, they couldn’t be held — not even in a mental health facility. The charges against Taylor were dropped. He was released.
And just months later, Jillian was dead.
”Jillian’s Law” — A legacy no one asked for
What followed Jillian’s death was swift and rare: bipartisan action.
Lawmakers, deeply affected by the outrage and heartbreak pouring out from every corner of Tennessee, came together to draft what’s now known as Jillian’s Law.
It closed the very loophole that allowed Taylor to walk free. As of July 1, 2024, anyone found incompetent to stand trial in Tennessee must be transferred to a mental health facility — no more falling through the cracks.
Her death was the catalyst, but she wasn’t the only one failed by the system. Jillian’s aunt, Geri Wainwright, put it bluntly:
“This was not an isolated case. There were hundreds of people in the city of Nashville that had been let loose after being found incompetent to stand trial.”
The law also led to a modest increase in mental health bed capacity, including at the Harold Jordan Center — from six beds to twelve. Advocates say it’s still far from enough.
”She should still be here”
During court hearings that continued into June 2025, psychologists testified that Taylor displayed clear signs of intellectual disability and was unable to grasp even the basic elements of a trial
One expert said, “I have not seen an expert ever offer that opinion about Mr. Taylor,” referring to him being fit for court.
Shaquille Taylor’s defense team brought forward several witnesses, including relatives and mental health professionals who had assessed him in the past.
“Sometimes it seems like his facial expressions show he’s kind of confused about a conversation,” said Edward Sampson, Taylor’s uncle.
Angela Domenick, who shares a child with Sampson and currently has custody of Taylor’s young child, added, “Forgetfulness, if you say certain things, he, you know, he doesn’t understand exactly what you’re saying.”
In the courtroom, both Jillian’s and Taylor’s families sat silently. No one spoke to reporters. There wasn’t much left to say — just sorrow, frustration, and a question that haunts many: Could this have been prevented?
”He has a driver’s license”
Jillian Ludwig’s loved ones are now clinging to hope that Judge Steve Dozier will rule that Taylor is competent to stand trial. He currently faces charges of felony murder and evidence tampering in connection with her death.
“There’s no closure, there’s no resolution until there is justice for Jillian,” said her aunt, Geri Wainwright.
“It is our contention and belief that he was absolutely competent to stand trial,” said Wainwright to Newschannel5. ”He has a driver’s license, he can lock and load a gun. He can get rid of a weapon after he commits a crime because he knows that is evidence.”
On June 16, a group of Ludwig’s family members and close friends gathered outside the Metro Courthouse, holding signs and chanting — united in their call for justice.
A second law for Jillian
This July, further changes will take effect under House Bill 1177, building on Jillian’s Law. The new rules extend the window during which misdemeanor charges can be refiled if a suspect regains competence — from 11 months and 29 days to two full years. It also closes a loophole that once allowed people to walk out of court-ordered treatment the moment their charges were dropped.
Now, if someone is released from custody or treatment, the court must receive an outpatient plan that considers public safety — a safeguard that didn’t exist when Taylor was freed.
“If it took her death for change to occur…”
Jillian’s friend, Gilda Colaiaco, expressed what many were thinking:
“If it took her death for change to occur,” Colaiaco said. “That’s just how it happened. I mean, that’s just the way things went. Of course, it should have happened earlier.”
Jillian was a college freshman, a daughter, a friend — a teenager just finding her way in the world. She deserved more than to become a name on a bill. But now, at least, her name stands for something bigger.
Her death broke hearts. Her legacy might save lives.
