Gunman In Sean Taylor Murder Wants Sentence Reduction

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - When he was 17-years-old, Eric Rivera shot and killed former University of Miami football star Sean Taylor in a burglary gone bad.

Now 28-years-old, Rivera has gone back to court to request that the judge reduce his 57-year sentence.

Rivera's attorney says he deserves it because of changes in juvenile-justice sentencing laws and because several other defendants in the case got lesser sentences, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.

The shooting happened inside Taylor's home on Thanksgiving weekend 2007. Rivera and four other young men drove over to Taylor's Palmetto Bay home from Ft. Myers. They thought the house would be empty since he would be away for a game with the Washington Redskins.

The night of the burglary, Taylor was home due to an injury. When Rivera kicked in the master bedroom door, Taylor rushed at him with a machete as he tried to protect his girlfriend Jackie Garcia and their daughter. Rivera shot at him. One bullet hit Taylor in the leg and severed his femoral artery. He bled out before help could arrive.

Rivera was convicted of second-degree murder in 2013.

Under Florida law, he is entitled to request a sentence review hearing because he was a juvenile when he was convicted of murder.

CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed to this report.