'Clearly planned murder': Feud led to shooting death of Peoria teen, prosecutors say

A feud unfolding in the city of Peoria led to the shooting death of 18-year-old Mike'Quese Taylor in April, prosecutors said in court Friday.

Messiah Carpenter, 20, is charged with murder in Taylor's death. Prosecutors say Carpenter is part of a group called the "Snakes," and they are feuding with Taylor's group, the "Jumpout Boys."

The same conflict that led to Taylor's death is also believed to have played a part in a post-prom shooting that happened in Chillicothe just two days earlier, according to prosecutors. Peoria Sheriff Chris Watkins attributed the Chillicothe shooting to Peoria "gangs."

Shell casings recovered at the scene of Taylor's death matched those found at the scene of the Chillicothe shooting where an 18-year-old was shot in the head.

Related: After search warrants executed, Peoria man charged in homicide of Mike'Quese Taylor

'Clearly planned murder'

In court Friday, prosecutors laid out how they believe the feud between the Jumpout Boys and the Snakes led to Taylor's death while he washed his car in front of his family home on April 30 at 108 E. Forrest Hill Avenue.

Judge Mark Gilles ruled that Carpenter would not be released from jail and took into consideration the ongoing feud between the Snakes and Jumpout Boys. The judge said he felt Carpenter's release could lead to further violence and retaliation.

Gilles said in court that it appeared Carpenter had engaged in a "clearly planned murder of another human being." The judge then decried the type of "retaliatory gun violence which is plaguing this city, state, country and world."

Witnesses to Taylor's death said he was washing his car sometime after 7 p.m. on April 30 when two men dressed in black and wearing black masks approached him, shot him and then immediately fled the scene.

Prosecutors also said that a home surveillance camera appeared to show Taylor walking out of the home with a gun in his possession before the shooting.

Police responded to the shooting around 7:20 p.m. and located Taylor in an alleyway behind the home with gunshot wounds to the chest and arm. He was conscious but unresponsive. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

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Evidence against the defendant

Carpenter's cellphone GPS ties him to the scene where Taylor was killed, prosecutors said. Carpenter's cellphone location showed him leaving his apartment in Hanna City 30 minutes before the shooting and then traveling to Taylor's neighborhood.

Witnesses also told police that a black Ford Fusion, which prosecutors say belongs to someone Carpenter knew, was seen circling Taylor's block before the shooting.

Carpenter's cellphone GPS and surveillance cameras also captured him and the black Ford Fusion fleeing the scene, according to prosecutors.

When police served a search warrant at Carpenter's apartment they observed a loaded rifle being tossed from one of the apartment windows. He was the only person inside.

Carpenter had already been on pre-trial release for two other gun-related charges and would have been violating the terms of his release if he was in possession of a firearm.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Prosecutors reveal new evidence in deadly shooting of Peoria teen