Man Convicted in Holiday Shooting of Dorchester Postal Carrier

BOSTON – Following a two-week trial, a federal jury convicted a Dorchester man yesterday in connection with the shooting, robbing, and kidnapping of a U.S. Postal letter carrier days before Christmas in 2013.

Keyon Taylor, 22, was found guilty of assault on a federal employee, robbery of a U.S. Postal worker, kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, and use of a firearm in a crime of violence.  Taylor and a co-defendant Maurice Williams Miner-Gittens, 24, also of Dorchester, were charged in January 2014.  Gittens pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy, and possession of a firearm in February 2015.

On Dec. 20, 2013, Taylor and Gittens rented a U-Haul van and followed a U.S. Postal delivery truck as a letter carrier was delivering holiday packages.  When the letter carrier returned to his truck after making a delivery, Taylor confronted him with a gun pointed inches away from his head and demanded his wallet.  While handing Taylor his wallet, the victim tried to move the gun away from his temple and was shot.  The bullet entered his wrist, shattering a bone, and lodging in his forearm.

Taylor then repeatedly demanded the “drawer,” presumably in reference to a cash drawer.  When the letter carrier told Taylor that the truck had no cash drawer, Taylor repeatedly pistol-whipped him.  Taylor struck the victim so hard that a piece of the pistol grip broke off.  Taylor then ordered the letter carrier into the back of the truck, and continued to beat him.  He demanded the keys to the postal truck and the letter carrier’s postal uniform which Taylor then used to try to wipe up some of the victim’s blood.

Taylor, who was partially disguised, told the letter carrier not to look at him and threatened to kill him if the carrier did so.  Moments later, frightened for his life, the letter carrier jumped out of the moving postal truck through the back cargo door.  At the time, Taylor had carjacked the postal truck with the bleeding carrier inside.  The victim ran for his life, in long johns and stocking feet.  Civilians in the area provided assistance and called the police.

While the assault took place, Gittens was in the U-Haul van right behind the postal truck.  In fact, Gittens got out and was directing traffic around the van and postal truck while Taylor was assaulting the letter carrier and then followed closely in the U-Haul van when Taylor drove off in the postal truck.

When the letter carrier jumped out of the postal truck, Taylor lost control of the truck, drove up onto the sidewalk and crashed the truck into a snowbank.  Taylor then fled through four backyards, carrying the victim’s pants and vest, as well as the revolver.  His flight path, which led to two chair link fences, was marked by a trail of boot prints in the snow.  While jumping over one of the fences, Taylor punctured his hand leaving blood and a piece of a purple nitrile glove on the top of the fence.  He also left more blood on a second fence and on the handle of a recycling bin.  The blood was matched to Taylor by DNA analysis.  Taylor dumped the victim’s pants and vest in the bin; further DNA analysis showed that both the letter carrier and Taylor had bled on the uniform.  The victim’s blood was also found on a black jacket which Taylor wore.  The jacket was recovered days later from a coat closet outside Taylor’s mother’s house in Attleboro, some 34 miles away from where the shooting took place.

Around 10:00 p.m. on the night of the robbery, Gittens was stopped in the U-Haul van.  Inside were two pairs of purple nitrile gloves that matched the one found on the fence along Taylor’s escape path.  On the outside of the van was a smear of the victim’s blood.

The charge of assault on a federal employee provides for a sentence of no greater than 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release.The charge of robbery of a U.S. Postal Worker provides for a sentence of no greater than 25 years in prison and three years of supervised release.The charge of kidnapping and attempted kidnapping provides for a sentence of no greater than life in prison and five years of supervised release.The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison and three years of supervised release.For Taylor, the charge of use of a firearm in a violent crime provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and three years of supervised release.Each charge also provides for a fine of no greater than $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, made the announcement today.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office wishes to thank the Boston Police Department’s Forensic Crime Laboratory for their exceptional assistance in analyzing forensic evidence.  The case was prosecuted by William F. Bloomer and Thomas E. Kanwit of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.