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Jamaica Plain man sentenced to life without parole in 2006 slaying

E-mail|Link May 12, 2009 01:06 PM

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

Marisa Luse read a victim impact statement today in Suffollk Superior Court about the fatal shooting of her brother, Herman Taylor III

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

A Jamaica Plain man was sentenced this morning to life in prison without parole for murdering a standout Metco student from Roxbury whom he had mistaken for a rival gang member.

Lamory Gray (George Rizer/Globe Staff)

Lamory Gray, 23, was convicted last week of gunning down Herman Taylor III in 2006 just a few hundred feet from Taylor's home.

In an emotional hearing at Suffolk Superior Court, Taylor's mother remembered him as a young man who "believed in life and never voiced an unkind word." She also denounced the culture of street violence that "snatched away" a talented student and athlete who had shunned gang life in a neighborhood ravaged by it.

"This should not be, and it sickens me," Sarah Coleman said through tears. "My son died in a horrible way without any family around him. Herman was not ready to die and we were not ready to lose him. He had a dream and you took it away."

Gray was convicted of first-degree murder last week after a trial in which several witnesses altered their testimony for fear of retaliation, prosecutors said. Testimony proved that Gray, a member of the Heath Street gang, set out to kill a member of the rival H-Block gang, but mistakenly targeted Taylor, who was on his way home from a friend's house. Gray called out to Taylor, briefly spoke with him, then drew a gun and fired twice. As Taylor tried to escape, he fired twice more, mortally wounding him.

Gray's conviction carried a mandatory term of life in prison without parole.

In her victim impact statement, Coleman recalled her son as a "shy and very special person" and angrily lashed out at Gray and his fellow gang members.

"Our young people and their parents need to get the facts straight," she said. "You own no blocks or streets or corners ... I cannot touch, feel, or talk to my son anymore - all I can do is cry. Today the judgment should be severe, and I hope God has mercy on your soul."

Taylor attended Belmont High School through the Metco busing program and played basketball there. Several of his Belmont teachers attended today's hearing, and comforted Taylor's relatives during their statements.

His sister, Marisa Luse, said Taylor stood out as an example of how "one young black man can make a change in his community."

"He was not an aspiring thug," she said. "Rather, Herman Taylor III exuded love. He was courageous."