Tariq Taylor pleaded guilty and been sentenced on April 13 to 20 to 25 years in prison in the shooting death of Timothy Perkins.

Taylor was originally charged with aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and having a weapon under disability. The charges he pleaded to this week were: voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault, and having a weapon under disability.

Perkins was shot in October 2021 in the 2200 block of Eck Court in Portsmouth. Perkins was a self-employed roofer from Aberdeen.

Asked if he had anything to say to the court, Taylor said: “I apologize to the family of my victim and to my family.” Several friends and family members were in court.

Perkins’ mother asked that a victim’s advocate read a victim impact statement to the court. It said in part: “The only thing to look forward to as a parent has gone away,” and that her son’s young children were starting to ask about him. “What do I say to them? I hope you take this time and really think about what you have done.”

Addressing the change in charges, state’s attorney Matthew Loesch said it wasn’t easy.

“This decision was not made lightly on behalf of the state,” Loesch said. “The actions of people don’t just affect them. [There is a] host of people on both sides whose lives are shattered.

“This was a very young man, two very young men, and Mr. Perkins will never have the opportunity to be w his family, his friends, his children ever again.”

Reach Lori McNelly at (740) 370-0713 ext. 1928, by email at [email protected], © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved