A Jonesboro man was sentenced to prison Friday after he pleaded guilty to killing a woman he was dating, according to court records.
Terrance Bernard Taylor, 40, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Shonda Gonzalez, 37, of Jonesboro. He originally faced charges of first-degree murder, possession of meth or cocaine with intent to deliver, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Officers said they were called March 17, 2018, to Gilbert Street in Jonesboro after medical first responders found Gonzalez's body inside her home.
There were no signs of forced entry at the home, and investigators learned the woman might have had an undisclosed medical condition that could have led to her death, according to an affidavit.
Shortly before medical personnel were dispatched to Gonzalez's address, Taylor called a family member and asked the person to check on Gonzalez because he said she had suffered a heart attack, according to the affidavit. Officers said an autopsy showed that the woman's death was a homicide.
Witnesses told officers that Taylor and Gonzalez had been in an relationship for several months and that the night before Gonzalez was killed, Taylor had gotten angry at her and kicked her car. That was the last time they were seen together, according to the affidavit.
Gonzalez died of "strangulation and asphyxiation and suffered a blunt force trauma," according to a statement from the Craighead County prosecutor's office.
Metro on 09/18/2019