Sean Taylor, a 24-year-old Pro Bowl safety for the Washington Redskins, was killed on November 27, 2007, after five men from Fort Myers, Florida broke into his Palmetto Bay home during a burglary they believed would net them six figures in cash. The Sean Taylor murder was carried out by Eric Rivera Jr., Jason Mitchell, Venjah Hunte, Charles Wardlow, and Timmy Lee Brown; Rivera fired the single shot that severed Taylor’s femoral artery, and all five were eventually convicted and imprisoned.
What Happened the Night of the Shooting
The five broke in during Thanksgiving weekend, on the night of November 26, 2007. They expected the house to be empty because the Redskins were playing in Tampa Bay, but Taylor was home recovering from a knee injury. His girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, and their 18-month-old daughter were in the bedroom with him.
Taylor came to the bedroom door with a machete. Eric Rivera Jr. kicked the door in and fired a single shot from a 9mm handgun, hitting Taylor in the upper thigh. The bullet tore through his femoral artery, and he bled to death. He was pronounced dead the following day.1NFL.com. Man Gets 57 Years in Prison in Sean Taylor’s Death
Why They Targeted Taylor’s Home
The plot was organized by Jason Mitchell, who believed Taylor kept between $100,000 and $200,000 in cash at the house. Mitchell had attended a birthday party there and watched Taylor hand his half-sister a purse containing $10,000. About eight days before the killing, on November 17, 2007, Mitchell had already attempted the burglary alone. During that first break-in, someone pried open a front window, went through drawers, and left a kitchen knife on a bed.2ABC News. Confession Questioned in Slaying of NFL’s Sean Taylor
How Investigators Caught the Five
Detectives focused on the Fort Myers group because some of them had visited the house before, and cellphone records placed their phones near the Palmetto Bay home and along Alligator Alley, the highway connecting Fort Myers to Miami.3CBS News Miami. Opening Statements Monday in Sean Taylor Murder Trial
Rivera was picked up during a traffic stop in Fort Myers. He first denied any involvement, but during interrogation he broke down and gave a videotaped confession in which he waived his right to an attorney, drew diagrams of the house, and identified himself as the shooter. He also described how the group wiped down the gun, stuffed it in a sock, and threw it into the Everglades on the drive back across Alligator Alley. He said he burned his clothing afterward.4ESPN. Defendant Admits Shooting Sean Taylor
The gun was never recovered.1NFL.com. Man Gets 57 Years in Prison in Sean Taylor’s Death A footprint lifted from the bedroom door matched the Nike Shox sneakers Rivera wore that night, though his defense noted the absence of fingerprints, DNA, or gunshot residue tying him to the scene.
What Each Defendant Was Convicted Of
All five were charged with felony second-degree murder, armed burglary, and home invasion robbery with a firearm. The cases were resolved in Miami-Dade Circuit Court before Judge Dennis Murphy over several years.5DCist. Sean Taylor’s Killer Sentenced to 57 Years
Eric Rivera Jr.
Rivera was 17 at the time of the shooting. At his October 2013 trial he took the stand and recanted his confession, claiming it was coerced and that another man had fired the shot.6CBS Sports. Eric Rivera Jr. Sentenced to 57 Years in Sean Taylor Shooting Death In November 2013 the jury convicted him of second-degree murder and armed burglary rather than first-degree murder, and on January 23, 2014, Judge Murphy sentenced him to 57 and a half years.5DCist. Sean Taylor’s Killer Sentenced to 57 Years In May 2018 he asked for a reduced sentence under changes in Florida’s juvenile sentencing laws; the judge denied the request. He is scheduled to remain in prison until 2065, with the sentence eligible for review after 15 years served.7WSVN. Judge Denies Request for Reduced Sentence for Sean Taylor Murderer
Jason Mitchell
Mitchell, who organized the burglary, did not testify at his own trial but had given police a videotaped confession. On June 10, 2014, a jury convicted him of first-degree felony murder and armed burglary, and Judge Murphy sentenced him to life in prison, the harshest penalty in the case.8NBC Washington. Jury Convicts Another Suspect in Sean Taylor Slaying Trial
Venjah Hunte
Hunte pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and burglary in exchange for cooperating with prosecutors and was sentenced to 29 years.9NFL.com. Jury Convicts Suspect in Sean Taylor Slaying Trial In June 2015 he asked to have that reduced to 20 years, and the judge denied the request.10NBC Miami. Final Defendant in Sean Taylor’s Killing Denied Lesser Sentence At Rivera’s trial, Rivera alleged Hunte had brought the gun and fired the shot, a claim prosecutors rejected.11Jacksonville.com. Guilty Verdict in NFL Star Sean Taylor’s Murder
Charles Wardlow
Wardlow pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in prison on March 31, 2015.12CBS News Miami. Fourth Person Convicted in Sean Taylor Murder
Timmy Lee Brown
Brown, 23 at the time of his plea and, like Rivera, a teenager at the time of the crime, was the last defendant to resolve his case. He pleaded guilty on April 8, 2015, and received an 18-year sentence, the lightest of the five. His plea closed the criminal proceedings.13CBS Sports. Final Defendant in Sean Taylor Murder Case Pleads Guilty
Who Sean Taylor Was
Taylor grew up in Miami and played safety at the University of Miami, where he was part of the 2001 national championship team as a true freshman and, by his junior year, led the nation with 10 interceptions and earned consensus All-American honors. The Washington Redskins took him fifth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft, and he built a reputation as one of the NFL’s hardest hitters. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2006 and again, posthumously, in 2007, the season he was leading the league with five interceptions when he was killed.14University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. Sean Taylor He left behind an 18-month-old daughter, Jackie Taylor, who inherited the bulk of his $5.8 million estate.15Bleacher Report. Finances Divide Sean Taylor’s Family