4.11.11: Taylor Sentenced for Armed Robbery that Resulted in Murder
April 11, 2011 -- Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn K. Stewart sentenced Troy Taylor today to life in prison, with all but 35 years suspended, for his involvement in the April 2010 armed robbery of a carryout restaurant that resulted in the fatal shooting of a 73-year-old patron.
Brandishing a handgun, Taylor, 19, entered the carryout at 29th Street and Greenmount Avenue and demanded money from the three customers inside. Taylor allegedly was accompanied by another armed individual, Michael Hunter, on the evening of April 8, 2010.
During the robbery, Hunter allegedly shot and killed one of the customers, Charles Bowman Sr., a 73-year-old man who routinely bought his dinner at the restaurant en route to his job as an overnight security guard at the Baltimore Afro American Newspaper. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Bowman served as a deacon at his church and as a cook at another.
Taylor pled guilty to first-degree murder, the use of a handgun in the commission of a crime, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and other charges.
The trial of Taylor's co-defendant, 20-year-old Michael Hunter, is scheduled to begin on June 30, 2011.
Assistant State's Attorney Theresa M. Shaffer prosecuted the case.