First Trial Date Set In Sean Taylor Murder Case
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — A trial date has been set for the alleged shooter in the 2007 murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor inside his Miami home.
A judge in Miami set the trial date for April 16th.
While four men are accused in the slaying, they will be tried separately. The judge said Friday that the first to stand trial will be 21-year-old Eric Rivera Jr.
Trial dates for the others have not been set.
Charles Wardlow, Jason Scott Mitchell, and Timothy Brown are the other men accused of fatally shooting Taylor during a botched robbery at his Palmetto Bay home. A fifth man, Venjah Hunte, previously pleaded guilty to murder and burglary charges and is expected to testify against the others.
Prosecutors claim Hunte, along with the other four defendants, drove from Fort Myers to rob Taylor's home in November 2007. Prosecutors say it was during that botched robbery, that Rivera shot Taylor in the groin. Taylor died a day later at Jackson Memorial Hospital. His girlfriend and baby daughter, who were in the house at the time of the shooting, were not hurt. Police have said the group did not expect Taylor to be home because the Redskins had a game that weekend, but he was out with an injury.
All have pleaded not guilty and face potential life prison sentences if convicted.
Taylor was an All-Pro safety with the Redskins who also starred at the University of Miami.
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