Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy handed down a 57.5-year prison sentence to 23-year-old defendant Eric Rivera today for the murder of former National Football League superstar Sean Taylor.
Rivera allegedly shot Taylor after breaking into his Miami home with four other men during the 2007 NFL season. The burglars assumed Taylor would be on the road with his team, the Washington Redskins, but they realized that wasn't the case when Taylor appeared in his bedroom doorway, brandishing a machete as self-defense.
The free safety was shot in the upper leg and sustained serious damage to the femoral artery before bleeding to death in his home. He was 24 years old.
Taylor's girlfriend and 18-month-old daughter were in the bedroom when he was shot.
Shortly after he was arrested, Rivera confessed to the murder on video record, although he later claimed the admission was "improperly coerced" by the detectives detaining him. Rivera was also caught sending letters to relatives from jail, communicating plans to pressure witnesses into changing their testimonies concerning his involvement in the attempted burglary.
Members of both families - the accused and the deceased - were present on Thursday, including Taylor's girlfriend at the time of his death and his now 6-year-old daughter.
Rivera addressed Taylor's loved ones briefly at the sentencing.
"I'm going to have to live with the consequences," he said, "and I'm truly sorry for your loss."
The original charge brought against the defendant was first-degree murder. However, since Rivera was 17 years old at the time he committed the crime, he could not be charged with the death penalty.
Taylor was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft after an extremely successful career on the gridiron at the University of Miami, including a national championship with the Hurricanes in 2001 and unanimous All-American recognition.
His death was followed by extreme sympathy from his hometown Miami fans, as well as his followers in Washington D.C., where he had begun his professional career. In fact, to begin the first game the Redskins played following Taylor's death, they lined up the first play without a free safety.
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