Arrests in 2023 murder of Queens teen: 'I have no sympathy for them'
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) -- A New Jersey dad who got a fresh start after serving eight years in prison for a murder he didn't commit - is back behind bars. This time, he’s accused, along with two other men, in a Queens shootout that led to Joshua Taylor's death.
"He bled out they could not save him. I'm so sorry. Oh my god, I don't like to talk about it. That was my heartbeat," said Linda Taylor, with tears in her eyes.
Ten months later - the grief hasn't gotten any easier for this great-grandmother.
"Nineteen years of age, you all take my grandson away from me. I have no sympathy for them," she added.
Dante Hunter is facing a murder rap, while Damone Miller and Shamel Capers are looking at attempted murder.
"I just want to get back to my family, that's all," expressed Shamel Capers in November 2022.
PIX11 News was there as he walked out of the Queens courthouse a free man. Exonerated after serving eight years in prison for a deadly city bus shooting he didn't do.
But now - in a twist of fate - the 26-year-old is back behind bars.
Detectives put Capers at the scene of Taylor’s July 2023 murder in Middle Village. He's allegedly seen on surveillance video firing a gun, which his attorney denied in court Tuesday.
His mother, Tidleek Capers, in a statement to PIX11, said:
“Our family continues to unequivocally stand by Shamel, who has sadly been unjustly railroaded by the legal system before. A rush to judgment led to his previous wrongful conviction for a crime he did not commit, resulting in his unjust imprisonment for over eight years, beginning when he was just a teenager. History is tragically repeating itself. Shamel intends to vigorously defend himself in court and I pray he is given a fair chance this time to clear his name.”
Tidleek Capers
After a year of tragedy, there's a glimmer of hope for the victim's family. Taylor’s baby girl was born in March, seven months after he died.
"He always wanted his first child to be a girl, so I guess he's in heaven smiling," Taylor, now a great-grandmother, said.
The suspects have been remanded to Rikers Island.
District Attorney Melinda Katz oversaw the exoneration of Capers in 2022.
Tuesday, Katz said in a statement, “In the case of D’aja Robinson’s murder, an exhaustive investigation and newly discovered evidence led us to conclude that Shamel Capers had been wrongfully convicted. The court agreed and the conviction was vacated. The defendant responsible for Robinson’s murder is in prison serving a sentence of 25 years to life."
Katz continued, "In this incident, Capers is charged with attempted murder. Nothing will shake our resolve to remove illegal guns and those who use them from our communities. We are duty bound to follow the facts in every case wherever they may lead us.”