On Wednesday (Apr 16) the State filed a Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty for JOSHUA LEMAR TAYLOR (30), in the First Degree Premeditated Murder (CF) of Tashaun Jackson (31), on February 10, 2019. TAYLOR had been indicted by the Grand Jury on March 19, 2019.

On February 10th, 2019 Cocoa Police responded to a report that Jackson failed to return home after walking to a nearby convenience store the day before (Feb 9). Surveillance video confirmed Jackson had been at the store, but left alone a few minutes after arriving. Jackson's body was discovered almost a week later on February 15, 2019, in rural Osceola County. A subsequent investigation established that Jackson had been abducted and killed by TAYLOR on the same day of her disappearance. TAYLOR was arrested by Cocoa Police on Tuesday, February 26th, 2019 at his mother's home in Cocoa.

In their notice, prosecutors described the murder as "especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel" and "was committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification." They also cited provisions indicating that TAYLOR had committed the murder for the purpose of silencing Jackson as a witness, and attempting to prevent the State from prosecuting him for a 2018 burglary at Jackson's home.

TAYLOR will remain in custody with NO BOND at the Brevard County Jail.  The case is set for Docket Review before Judge Jeffrey Mahl, July 23, 2019 - 8:30 AM, at the Moore Criminal Justice Center.