Man hired as driver in deadly Wilkinsburg robbery gets life without parole

A Turtle Creek man will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance for parole after he was sentenced Monday in the robbery and shooting death of a 27-year-old woman who was killed for her tax refund.

A jury found Kaijin Scott, 27, guilty of second-degree murder, robbery, conspiracy and tampering following a trial before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer in August.

Keiauna Davis had been walking home along Laketon Road in Wilkinsburg on the afternoon of Feb. 22, 2018. She had just received her tax return and was carrying $3,000. She planned to stop for party supplies for her daughter’s birthday party on the way.

A criminal complaint filed in the case said Davis worked with a woman named Laya Alana Whitley at Dollar General, and she knew about Davis’ tax refund.

Whitley sent a message to Dane James Taylor about the money, and the two of them conspired to rob Davis. Taylor hired Scott, who was an acquaintance of his, to give him a ride that day.

Police said that Scott and Taylor followed Davis in a Toyota Corolla as she walked east. Then, they pulled in front of her, and Scott got out, pretending to fix something on the car.

Taylor then jumped out of the car and chased Davis, struggling with her. She was shot in the hip by Taylor.

Davis had two daughters, who were 6 and almost 3 at the time of the shooting.

Her older daughter, Azaylah Wilson, told the court in a victim-impact statement that she and her sister were crushed by their mom’s death.

Azaylah told the court that it’s not fair they have to grow up without their mom over a few dollars.

“My sister is still little so she doesn’t really understand what my mother’s death means,” she said. “It means we will never see her again. She will never be able to see all of the happy things that happen in my life, and she won’t be there.”

Davis’ mother, Sheila Detwiler, said in her statement that Scott is a victim of his own poor choices.

“You chose to pull your car over that day. You chose to stand by and watch while Dane Taylor assaulted and shot my daughter. You chose to take the money out of her purse. You chose to help Dane Taylor flee the scene. You chose to take my daughter’s hard-earned money and go shopping for new clothes. You chose to drive Dane Taylor to Laya Whitley’s house so you all could split my daughter’s money,” Detwiler said.

Police said that Scott was paid $800 for driving Taylor to the robbery.

Taylor and Whitley both reached plea agreements with the prosecution that resulted in convictions for third-degree murder and called for lesser sentences than Scott received. Taylor, 24, is serving 30 to 60 years in prison, while Whitley, 25, is serving 20 to 50 years in prison.

Scott went to trial and was found guilty of second-degree murder, which is the death of a person during the commission of any other felony, and it carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge also ordered Scott to serve an additional 12 to 24 years on top of the life sentence.