A Vincennes man has pleaded guilty to the murder of 26-year-old Taylor Hendershot, who was fatally shot outside a 6th Street business on August 5, 2025. 32-year-old Dylan A. Smith entered the guilty plea Monday in Knox Circuit Court, where Judge Monica Gilmore accepted the agreement before a courtroom of about two dozen spectators. According to Knox County Prosecutor Dirk Carnahan, the plea was not offered by the state, Smith, through his attorney, chose to plead guilty, waive appeals, and give up any right to seek future sentence modifications in exchange for a 60-year sentence. Carnahan said the victim’s family supported the decision and requested that he accept the plea. Smith will be formally sentenced on January 9, and members of the Hendershot family will have the opportunity to address the court during the hearing.
