The Knoxville Police Department confirmed that Angela Taylor, the woman found unresponsive after a shooting and vehicle crash on Worth Street, died from her injuries on December 7, 2025. Taylor, a 48 year old lifelong resident of East Knoxville and devoted mother of two adult sons, was pronounced dead at UT Medical Center. Authorities stated she was never struck by gunfire.
An autopsy conducted by the Regional Forensic Center determined the official cause of death as blunt force trauma sustained when the vehicle she occupied plunged down an embankment following the shooting.
The incident occurred shortly after 4:45 p.m. on Friday, December 5, at the intersection of Worth Street and West Emerald Avenue. Taylor worked for nearly two decades as an administrative assistant at a local insurance agency and was known for organizing neighborhood cleanups.
The second woman in the vehicle suffered a single gunshot wound to the upper body and remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition. First responders extricated both victims from the heavily damaged sedan after it came to rest against trees. Investigators recovered multiple shell casings at the scene.
Jamarcus Murphy, age 20, and his brother Jamahus Murphy, age 18, were taken into custody hours later in a Kroger parking lot on Clinton Highway. Both suspects, who grew up in the Lonsdale community and share the same parents who are longtime Knox County school employees, now face additional charges related to Taylors death. Prosecutors expect to upgrade the charges to include first degree murder.
Friends describe Taylor as an avid gardener who spent weekends tending flower beds and canning vegetables for neighbors still remember from summer cookouts. She enjoyed gospel music and rarely missed Sunday service at Greater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church. Her family has requested privacy during this difficult time.