District Attorney J. Collin Sims reports that on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Tauj Taplin, 24, of Amite, Louisiana, and Quardaviaon White, 24, of McComb, Mississippi, were each sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
The sentences follow their October 2, 2026 jury convictions for Second-Degree Murder after a five-day trial before the Honorable Judge Alan A. Zaunbrecher. Assistant District Attorneys Tiffany Dover and Iain Dover represented the State during the sentencing proceedings and led the prosecution at trial, following an investigation by the Bogalusa Police Department.
The convictions stem from a June 7, 2021 shooting at an apartment on Union Square in Bogalusa. Officers responded to the scene and located a victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he was transported to Our Lady of Angels Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators gathered evidence and determined the shooting arose from ongoing threats by local rap music figures. Authorities identified Taplin as the shooter and White as the driver of the getaway vehicle.
Following the issuance of arrest warrants, law enforcement tracked the suspects to Texas, where they were taken into custody on June 10, 2021, by the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana State Police following a vehicle stop and brief flight. Subsequent search warrants led to the recovery of two handguns, including one reported stolen out of Baton Rouge. Trial evidence, including digital and cell phone records, definitively placed both defendants at the scene.
Judge Zaunbrecher handed down the mandatory life sentences on Tuesday, with the victim’s family present in the courtroom.
“While no sentence can undo the tragic loss of a loved one, today’s finality ensures that these two individuals will spend the rest of their natural lives behind bars for a senseless act of violence driven by a mindless online rivalry,” said District Attorney Collin Sims. “Our office remains deeply grateful to the victim’s family for their strength throughout this process, and to the Bogalusa Police Department and our prosecution team for their steadfast dedication to securing justice.”
DA Sims also thanked the Bogalusa Police Department, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, Vidor Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) for their collaborative work during the investigation.