Yesterday a jury convicted Qiuordai Lewis Taylor, 18, and Duprea Romon Wilson, who is now 20-years-old, of manslaughter, assault, robbery, kidnapping and burglary for a 2014 home-invasion robbery where an accomplice was shot by a Lakewood homeowner and later died. Sentencing is scheduled for March 25, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. in room 822 of the County-City Building in Tacoma.
“The homeowner lawfully killed one of the robbers in self-defense,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “Deputy Prosecutors James Curtis and Neil Horibe ably convicted the other two robbers.”
On Nov. 18, 2014 at 9:30 p.m., the robbers knocked on the victims’ door. When the husband answered, the robbers forced their way in. They tied up the couple and ransacked the house. At some point, the robbers went outside and the husband was able to free himself. He locked the front door and untied his wife. The couple retreated to their bedroom and the husband retrieved his handgun from his lockbox. As the robbers were forcing their way back into the home, they fired a gunshot. Once back inside, they went into the bedroom. The husband fired at them, striking Taijon Vorhees twice – once in the abdomen and once in the leg. The robbers fled.
Taylor and Wilson rode around with Vorhees in their car for a considerable amount of time, and did not seek medical care for him. Police later found Vorhees’ body in the parking lot of a Federal Way apartment complex.
The morning after the robbery, Wilson was arrested on an unrelated charge and booked into the King County Jail. While searching him, officers found the victim’s wedding ring.
