Settlement reached in DUI death of Charlotte County deputy

PUNTA GORDA — A settlement has been reached in the wrongful death suit filed by the family of a Charlotte County Sheriff’s deputy killed in a DUI crash in 2022.

The terms of the settlement are confidential, court records show.

Christopher Taylor, 23, was a deputy conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 75 when a car driven by Cassandra Smith struck him and the person he had stopped.

Residents and members of Taylor’s squad provided medical aid at the scene, but the deputy couldn’t be revived and later died from his injuries.

In December, Smith was convicted of DUI-manslaughter and other charges related to his death. A judge sentenced her to 29 years in prison in February.

Smith is appealing her conviction.

Taylor’s parents, Richard and Karen Taylor, filed a wrongful death suit against Smith in 2023.

Documents show the proceeds from the settlement will be distributed to both parents, with the majority going to Richard Taylor, representing his son’s estate. Taylor’s parents were divorced at the time of his death.

As a boy, Christopher Taylor and his father participated in church and Scout activities, documents show. Richard Taylor helped pay for his son’s college and supported him while he attended law enforcement academy.

“They enjoyed a close relationship,” a settlement document stated.