A Missouri man has admitted responsibility for the 2025 shooting death of an Amazon delivery driver, bringing a case that began as a reported traffic crash closer to sentencing.
Thomas Coy, 65, of Wentworth, pleaded guilty this week to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the death of 23-year-old Jasmine Sky Taylor. His plea came shortly before the case was scheduled to proceed toward trial. He is set to be sentenced on Nov. 2, 2026.
The shooting happened on Feb. 5, 2025, along Lawrence County Road 2152, west of Highway 97 near Wentworth. Taylor was working as an Amazon delivery driver when she was shot while traveling along the rural road.
What happened on the road
Authorities were initially called after Taylor’s Amazon van left the roadway and crashed into a fence at about 4 p.m.
Investigators later reviewed video from inside the delivery vehicle. The footage showed Taylor driving toward a driveway before suddenly slumping over in the driver’s seat. The van continued moving before leaving the road and crashing.
At first, authorities did not know that Taylor had been shot.
She was taken to Mercy Hospital Joplin for treatment. Hours later, medical staff contacted law enforcement after discovering a projectile lodged in her head. Investigators then began treating the incident as a shooting rather than a simple vehicle crash.
Investigators say Coy waited for the van
According to investigators, Coy had seen Taylor’s Amazon vehicle traveling along the road before returning to his home and retrieving a pellet-style air rifle.
Authorities said he then waited for the delivery vehicle to come back.
When Taylor approached the area near Coy’s driveway, investigators said she was shot in the head. Coy later admitted to investigators that he was responsible for the shooting.
After the van crashed, investigators said Coy went to the vehicle, removed Taylor from the driver’s seat and left her in a roadside ditch.
Taylor remained hospitalized for several days. She died from her injuries on Feb. 9, 2025, four days after the shooting.
Case moved from murder charge to guilty plea
Coy was initially arrested on an assault charge. After Taylor died, prosecutors upgraded the case to first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
The case later changed with Coy’s guilty plea to second-degree murder and armed criminal action.
Coy had been scheduled for trial beginning Sept. 28, 2026, but accepted the plea agreement before the trial date. His sentencing is now scheduled for Nov. 2.
Authorities have previously said they established a motive but did not publicly disclose the specific reason for the shooting. Neighbors told local media that Coy had complained about delivery vehicles traveling too quickly alon
