At his sentencing last week for wrongful confinement and carrying a concealed weapon, a convicted criminal appeared to be especially soulful.
After addressing the court at his March 10 hearing, Brian Earl Taylor, 21, shocked a courtroom full of observers by singing a song for Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Darlene O’Brien.
The tune, which took Taylor less than a minute to repeat, appeared to be based on Adele’s smash song “Hello.”
Convicted felon sings Adele-like 'sorry' to court judgeHELLO THERE YOUR HONOR: During sentencing for unlawful imprisonment and carrying a concealed weapon, this man decided to break out into an Adele-like melody to tell the judge he's sorry for what he's done. STORY: http://bit.ly/21yjzMO
Posted by Fox 5 DC on Thursday, March 17, 2016
Taylor sung, “Hello there, your honor. I want to apologize for what I’ve done, and I’ll try to be stronger in this life I’ve chosen, but I want you to know — that door, I shut. And I’m sorry, your honor, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,
He subsequently apologized to the victim in his instance as well as his mom a number of times.
Taylor was “clearly a brilliant young guy,” according to O’Brien, and she hoped he would reap the benefits of prison programming in order to achieve his goals upon release.
Taylor was detained on Nov. 9, 2015, in a second-floor stairwell of the Peninsular Place apartments after officers saw him battling with another guy and putting a revolver to his abdomen, according to Ypsilanti police Lt. Deric Gress. The apartments are located in Ypsilanti’s 900 block of Railroad Street.
According to police, three males allegedly dragged a 23-year-old Ypsilanti man into a car at gunpoint and drove him to the end of Railroad Street to steal him. The trio then returned to the flat to finish the heist.
Cops said the Belleville guy was wanted on numerous felony charges and was on parole in Wayne County at the time of his arrest.
Taylor was put on probation in 2013 for two counts of theft from an individual, but was placed in jail following a probation violation in 2015, according to Michigan Department of Corrections web records. The next year, he was freed on parole.
Taylor stated before performing his song that he aspires to someday attend Eastern Michigan University and earn a degree in business management, remain engaged in his religion, and avoid drugs following his release. He also wants to set a good example for his younger brother and to look after his mom.
Taylor requested that O’Brien sentence him to only 36 months so that he may complete his degree by the age of 26, but O’Brien stated that the minimum guideline limit for his offenses was 50 to 100 months.
Taylor was sentenced to two years in jail for illegally possessing a concealed firearm and 18 months to 15 years for unlawful detention under a plea bargain. Five additional accusations against him were dropped in the trial.
Taylor will spend time for violating his parole before facing the firearms accusation. He will subsequently be sentenced for illegal confinement.
In a second case in Washtenaw County, he is set for a final pretrial hearing on March 24 for stealing or keeping a financial transaction device without authorization.
