Vero Beach man convicted at trial in 2017 shooting death and robbery of Sharon Sewell
VERO BEACH – A Vero Beach man faces life in prison after a jury on Friday convicted him of charges related to the 2017 shooting death of Indian River County resident Sharon Sewell, whose body was found on a rural road.
Keith “Egbert” Taylor, 26, who went on trial last week facing a count of first-degree felony murder with a firearm, was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter with a firearm in the Oct. 30, 2017 drug-related armed robbery and killing of Sewell, 53, who was shot in the back of the head and left for dead, court records show.
Taylor, of the 3800 block of 42nd Place, was also convicted of robbery with a firearm with great bodily injury and tampering with evidence.
A jury seated May 8 deliberated for about 3 ½ hours Friday before returning a verdict, said Assistant State Attorney William Long.
Sheriff's investigators first believed the case was a traffic homicide, but an autopsy found that Sewell died from a single gunshot wound to the head and was left in the middle of an unpaved section of 61st Street bordered by fields and trees.
“Unfortunately, a completely innocent civilian was driving down the dark dirt road and he actually ran over the body … and called 911,” Long said. “That triggered a broader law enforcement investigation.”
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Taylor and his cousin, Antonio McNeal, 34, of Sebastian, who investigators said were together when Sewall was killed, were both charged with murder, armed robbery and tampering with evidence in connection with her death.
McNeal was arrested Nov. 9, 2017; Taylor was charged 18 days later.
The motive
According to Long, Sewell knew McNeal and on Oct. 30, 2017 she went with him to fill her prescription for 90 Dilaudid pills at a store in southern Brevard County.
Dilaudid, a brand-name drug made from morphine, is prescribed to treat pain.
That day, McNeal and Taylor had plotted to steal Sewell’s pills, that had a street value of approximately $3,000, according to McNeal’s arrest affidavit.
Deputies reported that after Sewall’s murder, the cousins sold the drugs in Gifford for $600.
“The state's theory of the case was always that Egbert Taylor was the shooter, but Antonio McNeal was absolutely no saint,” Long said Friday. “Candidly, this case doesn't happen but for Antonio McNeal setting the events of this case into action. There's no evidence that before this day Egbert Taylor even knew who the victim was.”
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According to court records, video surveillance showed McNeal at Malabar Discount Pharmacy in Palm Bay, where Sewell had gone to fill a prescription. Cellphone records showed Sewell contacted McNeal the day she was killed.
Long said McNeal testified against Taylor over two days during last week’s trial.
Taylor, who didn’t take the stand during his trial, could be sentenced to a maximum of two life terms during a July 13 hearing, Long said.
Both men were initially charged with second degree murder but were later indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery and tampering with evidence.
McNeal also was charged with providing false information concerning a capital felony and three counts of sexual activity with a minor.
No trial date has been set in McNeal’s case; his next court date is June 6, court records show.
The homicide
On the day of Sewell’s murder, McNeal was wearing a court-ordered GPS monitor that investigators said linked him to the site where her body was found, sheriff's officials reported.
According to their arrest affidavits, on the night of Oct. 30, 2017, McNeal and Taylor got Sewell out of the car by pretending it was overheating.
Deputies found Sewell's burned purse and other items while searching a wooded area near McNeal's former Wabasso home, which was destroyed in Hurricane Irma, records show.
A GPS monitoring bracelet placed McNeal at the 61st Street crime scene.
McNeal told detectives he dropped Sewell off at a tennis court in Sebastian but later admitted he was with her when she was killed. He claimed Taylor shot Sewell for the drugs.
When arrested, Taylor claimed McNeal killed Sewell.
McNeal is also accused of having sex with a 17-year-old high school student three times after his release from prison between May and November 2017. The girl had approached a deputy because "she wanted to talk to detectives about a homicide," an arrest warrant said.
‘Good sister’
Prosecutor Long said Sewell’s adult son attended Taylor’s trial with other family members.
According to her 2017 obituary at Seawinds Funeral Home, Sewell had recently moved to Florida and was seeking to help with animal rescue. She advocated against adopting exotic pets and "was passionate about life."
A day or two before her death, Sewell talked to her brother David Kievit about her car having brake problems, he told TCPalm in 2017.
He never heard from her again.
“She was healthy and happy, although needing prescribed pain medications for injuries from a car accident about a decade ago," he said.
A pharmacy may have called her, Kievit said, telling her a prescription was ready.
“All her prescriptions were legal and prescribed by doctors,” he said. “She was a good sister, and I will miss her dearly."
Before moving back to Florida, Sewell had a dog grooming business in North Carolina. Originally, she was from Florida, where she helped take care of the elderly.
Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of Uncertain Terms, a true crime podcast. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com. If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Keith Egbert Taylor convicted in 2017 fatal shooting and armed robbery
