Bank robber who shot 3 women will spend decades in federal prison
A 25-year-old man who walked into a Fort Worth bank last July and shot three clerks was sent to federal prison on Friday.
Judge John McBryde sentenced Blake Taylor to 45 years in prison on charges of attempted bank robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Taylor will then be on supervised release for five years.
The sentences will run consecutively to any sentences imposed in state cases against Taylor in Tarrant County, which include four charges of indecent exposure and a charge of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute.
Wells must also pay $76,954.55 in restitution for the attempted bank robbery.
Taylor and a second man — Desmond Wells, 25 — walked into the Veritex Community Bank at 2424 Merrick St. and pulled out handguns. One demanded money and “almost immediately, both individuals fired shots at bank employees,” according to a criminal complaint. Neither of the men were given money.
Two tellers behind the counter and one employee seated at the center island were shot. They were hospitalized with serious injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening. According to an exhibit list presented in Taylor’s sentencing hearing, the woman who sat in the center island was shot in her torso and elbow.
Wells has entered a not guilty plea. A competency hearing was held for him in January.
This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Bank robber who shot 3 women will spend decades in federal prison."
