Nearly two decades after a Philadelphia man went missing, five people were arrested and charged with kidnapping him while impersonating police officers, torturing him to death in an effort to locate drugs and money, and burying his body in a vacant lot that would later become the parking lot for a charter school. On Thursday, May 2, 2024, Kevin Holloway, 45, Mark Scott, 48, Linton Mathis, 50, Atiba Wicker, 47, and Kenneth Tuck, 51, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death, and aiding and abetting in connection to the 2006 death of Shamari Taylor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed. In the summer of 2006, at least nine men plotted to rob Taylor — a 38-year-old Philadelphia native — of cocaine and other drug proceeds, investigators said. Holloway, Scott, Mathis, Wicker and Tuck were all involved in the plot, according to officials. Wicker, who was Taylor’s friend, allegedly lured Taylor to 76th Street and Woodbine Avenue in Philadelphia’s Overbrook Park neighborhood back on Aug. 26, 2006. Taylor and his girlfriend were then pulled out of their car by abductors who were posing as police officers with flashing lights on their vehicles and badges around their necks, investigators said. The kidnappers took Taylor and his girlfriend to a warehouse in North Philadelphia, according to officials. While the men released his girlfriend several hours later, Taylor was interrogated and tortured by Holloway, Scott and Mathis inside the warehouse as the suspects attempted to find out where he stored cocaine and money, investigators said. Taylor was then suffocated to death and his body was discarded in Fairmount Park, according to officials. Several days later, four of the kidnappers moved Taylor’s body to a vacant lot in North Philadelphia and buried him, investigators said. That lot has since become the parking lot of a charter high school. Investigators also said Taylor’s home in West Philadelphia was ransacked by two gunmen the day after his abduction. The men shot Taylor’s mother and sister in their heads but both women survived, according to officials. In September 2006, Tuck was arrested and charged in Philadelphia in connection to Taylor’s kidnapping. He was then acquitted in 2008 after two trials. Investigators later determined that Tuck’s family member bribed a witness who testified at Tuck’s state trial in 2007. Multiple witnesses also provided false testimony supporting Tuck’s alibi on the night Taylor was abducted, investigators said. Taylor remained missing for 12 years until Aug. 21, 2018, when police found his remains in the shallow grave in North Philadelphia. His death then remained unsolved for more than five years until investigators identified Holloway, Scott, Mathis, Wicker and Tuck as the suspects. “Today’s charges are the culmination of years of relentless pursuit of justice for Shamari Taylor and his loved ones,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Thursday. “The nature of this crime, with its elaborate planning, impersonation of law enforcement, and brutal execution, underscores the commitment of law enforcement to bring closure to cold cases and hold those responsible fully accountable. Our communities deserve nothing less. I commend the collaborative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, as well as the unwavering dedication of the Philadelphia Police Department, in bringing these alleged perpetrators to justice. This case exemplifies the power of cooperation among law enforcement agencies at all levels to solve complex crimes and deliver justice for the victims and their families. We will not rest until justice is served.” If convicted, all five suspects face a maximum possible sentence of life in prison. Attorney information for the five men has not yet been listed online.