Feltus Taylor

Case overview

Feltus Taylor, Jr. was an American murderer who was executed by the state of Louisiana for the robbery and murder of Donna Ponsano. He was indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder of Donna Ponsano in violation of Louisiana Revised Statute 30, and he was convicted of first-degree murder. A jury unanimously recommended a death sentence, and the trial court sentenced Taylor to death in accordance with the jury’s recommendation. He was executed by lethal injection at Louisiana State Penitentiary on June 6, 2000, at the age of 38.

Timeline

• March 27, 1991 — Donna Ponsano worked as a cook at Cajun's Fabulous Fried Chicken in Baton Rouge; Keith Clark arrived to assist Ponsano in opening for business; Taylor knocked at the front door; Taylor forced Clark and Ponsano to the storeroom, demanded opening the restaurant’s floor safe, took its contents, shot Ponsano, shot Clark, left and drove away; another employee, Viola Kaglear, arrived, observed Taylor and Clark going into the storeroom, heard gunshots, and alerted Josephine Hookfin and William H. Johns; Hookfin called 911; police and emergency medical personnel found Ponsano and Clark handcuffed together with multiple gunshot wounds to the head; Ponsano died two days later after treatment and surgery in a nearby hospital; Clark survived with paralysis and minor brain damage; police arrested Taylor at approximately 10:00 p.m. near his apartment for attempted first degree murder and armed robbery; Taylor confessed, led police to stolen money hidden in a field not far from his apartment, and informed police he had thrown the murder weapon into the Mississippi River.
• June 6, 2000 — Taylor was executed by lethal injection at Louisiana State Penitentiary.

The offence

On the morning of March 27, 1991, Donna Ponsano was working as a cook at Cajun's Fabulous Fried Chicken on Florida Boulevard in Baton Rouge. At approximately 7:00 a.m., Keith Clark, the restaurant’s manager, arrived to assist Ponsano in opening for business. Clark had tended to morning chores in the rear of the restaurant, returned to the front, and noticed Taylor at the front door knocking.

Taylor was a former employee of the restaurant whom Clark had hired approximately six months earlier. Although Clark had fired Taylor about two weeks previously for poor performance, Clark and Taylor were still friendly. Clark opened the door and allowed Taylor inside. Taylor asked Clark to rehire him, stating he was experiencing financial problems. Clark refused to rehire Taylor but assisted him in searching for another job by giving him money to buy a newspaper and sitting with him in a restaurant booth to review classified job advertisements. Clark found a local Popeye’s restaurant seeking a cook and called to recommend Taylor. Clark made a 9:00 a.m. appointment with the Popeye’s manager responsible for hiring and intended to accompany Taylor to discuss qualifications.

While waiting for the appointment, Clark continued his morning routine and Taylor helped by sweeping the dining area. As Clark was placing money into the cash registers, Taylor decided that robbery was the solution to his financial problems. He exited the restaurant to retrieve a .22 caliber handgun and handcuffs from his car, which was parked in front. Upon reentering, Taylor grabbed Ponsano, held the gun to her head, and demanded that Clark open the restaurant’s floor safe, located in a storeroom toward the rear of the building.

Clark initially refused but complied after Taylor threatened to shoot Ponsano in the head. As the three went to the back of the restaurant, Clark tried to escape through a rear entry door, but his attempts were unsuccessful because the door was locked. Taylor then handcuffed Clark and Ponsano together. Clark opened the safe and gave Taylor its contents, approximately $800.00. Clark tried to convince Taylor not to continue the robbery, but Taylor refused, stating his financial problems were too serious and that his car payment of $134.00 was due.

Clark offered to loan or give Taylor a personal check to pay the note. Taylor refused and instructed Clark not to inform the police about the robbery. After Clark told Taylor he would not lie to the police, Taylor again asked Clark to rehire him. Ponsano opposed rehiring Taylor, and Clark agreed. Taylor then shot Ponsano five times in the head and upper forearm. After emptying the gun, Taylor exited the room, reloaded, returned, and shot Clark in the head. Taylor then emptied the cash register of approximately $580.00, exited through the front door, got into his car, and drove away.

Earlier that morning, while Taylor was herding Clark and Ponsano to the back of the restaurant, another employee of Cajun’s, Viola Kaglear, arrived between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. to begin her workday. Kaglear recognized Taylor’s car in the front of the building. When no one responded to her knocking on the front door, she looked into the front windows and saw Taylor and Clark going into the storeroom. Kaglear waited a few minutes, proceeded to the rear of the building, and looked through a two-way peep hole in the back door. Through the peep hole, she saw Taylor exit and return to the storeroom. Shortly thereafter, she heard gunshots and ran to a neighboring Frostop restaurant where she alerted Josephine Hookfin, a Frostop employee, and William H. Johns, a food salesman, of the shooting.

Hookfin immediately called 911. During the 911 telephone call, Taylor exited the restaurant and got into his car. Johns read the automobile’s license plate number and relayed it to Hookfin and Kaglear, who gave it to the 911 operator.

When police and emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene, they found Ponsano and Clark lying in the storeroom, handcuffed together, each with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Ponsano died two days later after treatment and surgery in a nearby hospital. Clark survived but suffered paralysis and minor brain damage.

Investigation and arrest

At approximately 10:00 p.m. on the day of the shooting, police arrested Taylor near his apartment for attempted first degree murder and armed robbery. Taylor thereafter gave a full confession, led the police to the stolen money hidden in a field not far from his apartment, and informed police that he had thrown the murder weapon into the Mississippi River.

Trial

Taylor was indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder against Donna Ponsano, in violation of Louisiana Revised Statute:30. After trial, the jury found Taylor guilty as charged and unanimously recommended a death sentence. The trial court sentenced Taylor to death in accordance with the jury’s recommendation.

After a four-day penalty phase hearing, the jury recommended a death sentence and found four aggravating circumstances:

1. that Taylor was engaged in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of an armed robbery;
2. that Taylor knowingly created a risk of death or great bodily harm to more than one person;
3. that Taylor had been previously convicted of an unrelated armed robbery;
4. that the offense was committed in an especially heinous, atrocious and cruel manner.

Sentencing

The trial court sentenced Taylor to death in accordance with the jury’s unanimous recommendation.

Execution and final statement

On June 6, 2000, Taylor was executed by lethal injection at Louisiana State Penitentiary. At the age of 38, he was pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m. CDT from a chemical injection at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Taylor made a final statement in which he addressed Keith and the Ponsano family:

"I want to tell you, Keith, and the Ponsano family that I always regretted what I've done. It was my own doing. After this is over with, I hope you can find the peace to move on."

After Taylor spoke, the slain woman’s sister Lisa Allen whispered “Oh, Jesus,” then began crying. Clark survived the shooting but suffered paralysis and minor brain damage, and he was among the execution witnesses.

Other details

People and roles

• Donna Ponsano — victim; cook at Cajun's Fabulous Fried Chicken.
• Keith Clark — restaurant manager; survived the shooting with paralysis and minor brain damage.
• Feltus Taylor, Jr. (1962 – June 6, 2000) — defendant; former employee of the restaurant; admitted shooting Ponsano to death after he robbed the restaurant’s safe.
• Viola Kaglear — Cajun’s employee who observed Taylor and Clark going into the storeroom and later heard gunshots.
• Josephine Hookfin — Frostop employee who received Kaglear’s alert and called 911.
• William H. Johns — food salesman who read the automobile’s license plate number during the 911 call and relayed it.
• Lisa Allen — Ponsano’s sister; whispered “Oh, Jesus” after Taylor’s final statement.
• Michelle Fournet — Taylor’s attorney; sought a last-minute effort to stop the execution in the lead-up to the execution.
• Don Johnson — District Judge before whom arguments were made regarding a stay of execution.
• Burl Cain — Warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary; brought Taylor to the hearing at the request of prosecutor John Sinquefield.
• John Sinquefield — prosecutor.
• Charlie deGravelle — spiritual advisor.
• Cathy Jett — executive staff officer at Angola.
• Jean Faria — lawyer mentioned as Taylor’s other attorney.
• Paul — Clark’s father.

Dates, ages, and outcomes recorded in the account

• Taylor was executed on June 6, 2000, at age 38.
• Clark survived and suffered paralysis and minor brain damage.
• Taylor was scheduled to be executed in September 1999, and the execution was delayed by the U.S. Supreme Court at that time.
• Taylor had been granted stays of execution previously, including a stay ordered by Justice Antonin Scalia at 5:25 p.m. on a Thursday while Taylor was eating his last meal.
• The U.S. Supreme Court later refused to hear the appeal, lifting the stay on the execution, and further refused to block the execution and refused to consider taking Taylor’s appeal on the Monday described.

Additional quotations

Attorney Michelle Fournet and Taylor were quoted regarding the stay and stress on victims:

"He's very, very sorry for what he did."

Clark’s surviving victim statement after the execution was:

"I felt justice was done. I had gone out on a limb for him and then he shot me."

Prosecutor John Sinquefield’s quoted assessment after the stay was:

"Tonight, a brief and shallow victory goes to Feltus Taylor."

Prosecutor John Sinquefield’s further quoted statement was:

"This, at most, is a minor setback in the process that will lead to Feltus Taylor receiving justice for what he did"

On whether the execution would occur:

"under our system, where sometimes it can appear that murderers have more rights than victims."

Cathy Jett’s quoted description of Taylor’s reaction to the stay was:

"He didn't say anything. He just dropped his head and he stayed like that for 10 or 15 minutes," and: "I saw a tear, too. He was crying."

Fournet’s quoted view that Taylor was not oblivious to victims’ suffering was:

"He's not oblivious to their suffering," and:

Clark’s quoted reaction to the stay was:

"It was a shock," and: "We really thought it was going to go through this time."

Paul’s quoted reaction blaming delays on legal maneuvers included:

"The system's sick," "I'm upset with the system. The system stinks."

Kathy Jett’s quoted description of Taylor’s behavior included “He just dropped his head and he stayed like that for 10 or 15 minutes.”