Grand jury identifies Rivera as gunman in death of Taylor

Bill B

Spoke to my friend who used to work in the Florida judicial system - even though the others did not pull the trigger they can all be tried for the death penalty (as long as they are over 18 like you said) according to Florida law. My friend went on to say that Reed Rubin is the prosecutor in the case and he is tough as nails and will most likely go full force in getting as long a sentence as possible for all the defendents or death if possible. Also my friend went on to tell me that life in prison in Florida means their entire living years (not like some states where life may mean a certain number of years) and that there will be no possibility of parole for these guys unless the governor grants Clemency which has not happened in Florida I believe ever. Finally the judge who is overseeing the case is a former prosecutor and is not light on criminals per my friends dealings with him - even if this is a trial by jury these guys are in a world of trouble. My friend said the only way one of these guys doesn't get life is if they make a plea deal turning on the others and maybe he would get a lesser sentence like 25-30 years.

Here is an excerpt from USA that states what these guys are facing:
If the suspects are convicted of first-degree murder, all but the juvenile could be handed a death sentence. While he is expected to be charged as an adult, the juvenile would instead face 25 years to life in prison, as Florida law prohibits executing those who were minors at the time of the crime.

Suspects charged with murder in Sean Taylor case - USATODAY.com

RobH4413

I'm actually getting a gun because of this. This hasn't necessarily motivated me to get a gun, but just started my train of thought.

I'm moving to College park in less than a month. It's a rather dangerous campus and robberies like this happen all the time. No kids going to stumble upon it, and I'm going to be ridiculously careful.

The fact is, shit like this happens all the time, and if I'm strapped... It won't happen to me.

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henry12portis26

That Douchebag Rivera wants to get a peal deal ... well f#ck him hopefully we burns in his jail cell for life... he wont get one and will become someones bitch for a longtime... ****in punk bitch

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R.I.P Sean Taylor

munny

No, no. I am sure he will do just fine in prison. After all, there probably isn't anyone from the "U" in the Miami-Dade correctional system that might want to do him harm...

BleedBurgundy

Completely agree.

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BleedBurgundy

If you're serious, get training. Spend time at the range. Don't just buy it and carry it.

__________________
"All natural institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."

Thomas Paine

BleedBurgundy

I think those are the important words in that post. You're right, if you don't have the responsibility to handle a weapon responsibly and the intelligence to keep it away from children, do not own a gun. Period.

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"All natural institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."

Thomas Paine

dmek25

more guns equal more killing. its simple math. the second amendment rights will be settled in early 2008 by the supreme court. its something that was needed back in the early days. not so much anymore. i wonder how many gun owners would give up their guns, if it meant saving just one life? i would give up some of my personal enjoyments, if i could save someone from dying

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dmek25

i can tell from this that you are a young man. no one at age 17 thinks the same way a mature 25 year old does. think about when you were that age. and your thought process. youth always thinks its never going to get caught, or never going to get hurt. and no, im not defending him. but at 17, he still is a kid

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"It's better to be quiet and thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt."
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munny

Would you give up free speech to save one life?

Would you give up the right to vote to save one life?

I wouldn't, nor would I give up my second amendment rights.

Also, I might add that Taylor might also likely be alive had he simply installed an alarm system. When he returned to Miami the previous week, he could have had one put in that day. That might have been deterrent alone to keep these punks from trying it. A shame we will never know.

dmek25

Keyshawn Johnson had a great analogy on TV Sunday. said he went back to his hometown after his first season as a pro. was hell bent on raising his kids there. they all went into the barbershop where he had been getting his hair cut his whole life. while in the chair someone put a gun to his head, and robbed the whole shop. he knew right then and there he had to change his life style, and his choice of friends. and munny, i would give up any of my individual rights if it meant a more safe community, and country , in which i lived in

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"It's better to be quiet and thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt."
courtesy of 53fan

dgack

Well hold on here, the reason Sean did not have a gun is because it was against the terms of his plea deal in the earlier weapons case against him.

You could very easily make the argument that had he not misused a weapon at that time, that he would have had access to a weapon at the time he needed it most, for it what it was designed for.

As always, this is not to say Sean had it coming or any of that nonsense, it just goes to show you the cycle of not respecting firearms and what havoc they can wreak. Casually brandishing a weapon is something that's far too prevalent in our society and it isn't always hardcore criminals engaged in it. Sometimes it's decent people who made the mistake of reaching for a gun rather than using their brain (or even just their fists).

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Cowell

Sadly, IF Sean had had a gun and shot those men he probably would have gotten into some sort of trouble even with out the earlier plea deal. That's the cold hard truth of this world we live, even if the person is a criminal and they invade your home, somehow shooting them makes you a criminal too.

As for the guy with the gun who shot Sean. In all honesty if you opened a door to see a 6'2 200+ pound guy standing there with a machete I think you would panic a bit, especially if you expected no one to be home. Obviously the man was startled because the first shot missed and the 2nd hit a place where if I had a gun I wouldn't shoot someone. I would aim for the chest or head if I was going to take the plunge. I really think that the kid didn't mean to shoot or kill Sean he was just scared. For the record I am still not defending these criminals they all deserve a good time in jail.