16-year-old carjacker murdered Uber driver, pulled his body from the car and tried to drive away: prosecutors

A tragic incident unfolded on the South Side last week when a 16-year-old Dolton boy, Demari Taylor, was arrested and charged with murder and armed robbery for allegedly killing an Uber driver during a carjacking attempt. The victim, 35-year-old Altmann Mnyuku, was shot in the back of the head in the early hours of July 31 in the 600 block of East 90th Street.

According to prosecutors, Taylor pulled Mnyuku’s body out of the car, left him lying in the middle of the street, and attempted to drive away with the victim’s Jeep Cherokee. However, he abandoned the vehicle when he couldn’t get it to operate. The killing is believed to have been premeditated, with Taylor allegedly using his older brother’s Uber account to order a ride to a location where he regularly frequented.

During the ride, Taylor exchanged messages with an individual named “Trench,” discussing plans to rob Mnyuku at gunpoint. In one conversation, Taylor expressed doubts about the victim’s survival. Surveillance footage near Taylor’s destination captured him exiting the vehicle and dragging Mnyuku’s body onto the street. Another individual in the back seat remains unidentified.

Authorities were alerted to the crime when a passerby reported a body on 90th Street. Responding officers found Mnyuku with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, his wallet and phones inside the vehicle, but a significant amount of cash missing. A spent 9mm casing was recovered from the SUV’s floorboard, linking it to the murder weapon.

Upon returning home, Taylor confessed to his brothers about the failed robbery and the Uber driver’s death. A search of his residence led to the discovery of a loaded 9mm “ghost gun” near his sleeping area. Ballistics testing confirmed the firearm’s connection to the shell casing found at the crime scene.

Despite being his first arrest, Taylor is being prosecuted as an adult on charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and aggravated vehicular hijacking. The community is left reeling from this senseless act of violence, highlighting the need for justice and accountability in such cases.