A group of men who are accused of fatal shootings as part of a revenge plan had their murder cases bound over Wednesday evening to a Hamilton County grand jury.
After a four-hour preliminary hearing with four defendants and their four attorneys, General Sessions Judge Larry Ables found there was enough evidence to move their cases along.
Cornealious Lebron Beasley, 39, Anthony Jermaine George, 36, and Khavell Mailik Williams, 30, are facing two first-degree murder charges in connection with two 2020 deaths. Willie Lee Wooten Jr., 32, is accused of one killing.
Their alleged crimes stem from the murder of Timothy Taylor.
All four men were related to or close friends with Taylor, 38, according to Wednesday testimony, and at least three of them were allegedly connected to a gang, the Gang Disciples.
Murder cases proceed against four men in Hamilton County
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Taylor’s former girlfriend testified she went with him Nov. 30, 2020, to a South Willow Street home to collect some money from a man named Stew.
Once they got there, a man who was later identified as Jaylon Hill fired shots and hit Taylor, she said. She drove Taylor to the hospital, where he died hours later.
She said she told some or all of the four accused men what happened at Stew’s house.
Within 24 hours, two other people were shot and killed in different homes one street away from each other, according to Chattanooga police Sgt. Matthew Balinger.
Russell Paris, 61, was found with a gunshot wound outside his home early Dec. 1, 2020, at the 1700 block of South Kelly Street, Balinger said. He died at a hospital, too.
The group of men “mistakenly killed” Paris, believing he was connected to Taylor’s death, according to prosecutor Andrew Coyle.
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Later that evening, Gloria Hill, 66, was found fatally shot inside her South Willow Street home, Balinger said, adding she was Jaylon Hill’s grandmother.
She had a single gunshot wound between the eyes, and it appeared “she was looking up at whoever shot her,” Balinger said.
While police were at the scene, Jaylon Hill approached them and asked what was going on.
Chattanooga police recognized him as the suspect in the shooting from the night before and took him into custody. Hill was later found guilty of second-degree murder in Taylor’s death.
There were social media posts and communications that allegedly connected all four men to the fatal shootings. For example, Williams posted a rap song with a verse about “killing your granny,” according to a video shown in court.
All four men are being held on bonds varying from $500,000 to over $1 million at the Hamilton County Jail.
Contact courts reporter Sofia Saric at ssaric@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.