AUTHORITIES SAY INDIANA MAN FLED STATE ‘TO ESCAPE JUSTICE’
An Indianapolis, Indiana man has been charged with second degree murder in connection with the June 2022 shooting death of a man in rural Platte County.
Cordero T. Cervantes, 35, is alleged to have acted with McKayla Archambeau, 25, of Parkville, in killing Taylor Hawkins.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “This was a brutal and senseless killing. We allege this defendant played a direct role in the death of another man, and then fled the state to avoid justice. Platte County detectives and their law enforcement partners have worked tirelessly to allow us to bring these charges.”
Zahnd said the charge was filed following a lengthy investigation by the Platte County Sheriff’s Office. Cervantes was originally arrested along with co-defendant McKayla C. Archambeau, in 2022.
According to court documents, on June 28, 2022, Platte County deputies responded to a report of a shooting at a residence near 28000 Oberdiek Lane. A witness told deputies that Cervantes, Archambeau, and Hawkins went behind a barn on the property. Moments later, the witness heard a gunshot, followed by Hawkins shouting, “No! Why’d you do it?”
The witness then reported seeing Cervantes emerge from behind the barn allegedly “with a smirk on his face.” Court documents allege that Cervantes had encouraged Archambeau to shoot Hawkins after repeated arguments about her prior relationship with Hawkins.
Following the shooting, Cervantes and Archambeau allegedly fled Missouri in a 2012 Ford Focus, which was later recovered when both were arrested in Carlisle, Arkansas. Investigators believe the pair traveled across several states before being apprehended.
In a later interview, court documents state that Archambeau admitted to detectives that Cervantes pressured her to shoot Hawkins, allegedly telling her “he needs to go” and ordering her to “finish him” after the first shot. She stated that Cervantes rummaged through the victim’s pockets while he lay dying.
For her role in the murder, Archambeau pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree on August 22, 2025. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 14, 2025.
Cervantes is not currently in custody. There is a warrant for his arrest, ordering that he be held without bond.
