NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A bill honoring a Belmont student killed in Nashville has now passed the Tennessee House.
HB 1640 tackles mental incompetency and the court. Right now, those unfit mentally to stand trial — either through illness or disability — are not held liable for their crimes. They are allowed to return home and do not receive help mandated by the court.
With this bill, that would change. Those found unfit would have to receive inpatient or outpatient treatment. The court would have to keep up with their progress. That person would also never be allowed to own a firearm again. If that person were able to regain competency, the person's criminal proceedings would restart, meaning they would have to stand before the court for the offense.
House Majority Leader William Lamberth sponsored the bill. He and Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, have worked on this legislation after Jillian Ludwig died in late 2023. Her parents stood in the House gallery with a portrait of Jillian in their hands.
“If this bill had been on the books a year ago, you wouldn’t know the name Jillian Ludwig. She would be at school at Belmont,” Rep. Lamberth said.
The person charged with shooting and killing Ludwig was previously found mentally incompetent in 2011 while he was a juvenile and found incompetent once more in 2021. His charges were dropped in 2021 because of his incompetency. Shaquille Taylor, then 29 at the time of Ludwig’s death, was reported to have an intellectual disability and language impairment, according to court records obtained by NewsChannel 5.
“We’ve all spoken many times about the violence that plagued our state,” Lamberth said. “We have all called for action on that. There are multiple bills that would do so. This bill would save lives. I will tell you that her family is with us. Her life was court short, and this was preventable.”
'We are proud her name is attached'
Jillian Ludwigs mom, Jessica, said Jillian's life will now have a legacy with this bill passed. She said it hoped it would save other lives.
The family has been coming back and forth from New Jersey during the committee process.
"There are really no words," Jessica said, standing alongside her husband Matt. "The hurt is so deep that unless you've gone through it you wouldn't even understand. We are sending them our love and support. Just keep fighting for change in the name of your children's memories. We just hope and pray that were won't be more cases like this. Criminals should be held accountable for their crimes whether they have a mental competency issue or not. They should not be released back into society to hurt people."
Jessica said that had this law existed prior to her daughter's death she would still be here. Not only that, Ludwig felt that with Taylor's criminal history this was "foreseeable."
"She should be here. And he should be accountable," Jessica said.
Dissolution into a fight
During the same House session, a resolution honoring Jillian passed the House with her parents sitting in the gallery. Unlike many bills, this bill was bipartisan and received a nod from the Democratic superminority.
“We are taking the step in the right decision," Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, said. "You’re doing something right now I never thought you would. This guy should have never had a gun. The people who don’t need guns, we need to make sure they don’t have guns. The only way we are going to do it is to give law enforcement the right to take them away from them.”
However, Democrats also took the moment to ask for a red flag law and suggested there were other bills the legislature should consider with gun laws.
That moment dissolved into anger between Mitchell and Lamberth. The House Majority leader asked Speaker Cameron Sexton to cut off Mitchell's microphone. The gallery roared and Sexton threatened to have them removed.
Lamberth mouthed to the gallery “I am sorry. I am sorry.” to the Ludwig family and her Belmont roommate.
Mitchell said this moment wouldn’t have taken place had the Republican supermajority passed legislation about it in the first place.
As of this writing, the bill is traveling through the Senate on Monday night. The House passed it 92-0-4.
