The Murder of NFL Star, Sean Taylor
For this case I watched an episode of The Perfect Murder. It’s season 4 episode 10, titled ‘Football Fatale.’
A NFL superstar is killed in his Miami home.
Background
Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was born on April 1, 1983. It was apparent to Sean’s family that he was a very good football player. He played in high school at Pinecrest in Miami, and went on to play at the University of Miami. He was not only a top football player at the university, but also a track and field star.
After college, Sean was selected 5th overall by the Washington Redskins, in the 1st round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He signed a six year, $18.5 million dollar contract, which also included a $13.4 million signing bonus. Sean was also engaged to his high school sweetheart Jackie Garcia, and they had a child on the way.
Sean Taylor
The Murder
On November 26, 2007, Sean, Jackie, and their daughter went to bed. Around 1:45am, Sean and Jackie were awoken by a loud noise.
Sean grabbed a machete for protection, and told his fiancé to hide. Jackie then heard a loud bang. It was the sound of Sean being shot in the leg. Jackie and their daughter were unharmed, but she called the police.
Sean was rushed to the hospital. Sean’s femoral artery had been severed, and he had to go threw a large number of blood transfusions. He passed away the following day, due to blood loss.
The Investigation
Back at Sean’s house, the police found that one of the back doors had been damaged. There was glass and wood shavings on the ground. A footprint was found, that led to the bedroom.
The police interviewed Jackie, but she had been hiding, and couldn’t identify the shooter. Sean’s family said that Sean wasn’t even supposed to be in Miami that weekend. Sean had been injured during a game, and came down to speak to a doctor.
One of Sean’s friends also arrived at the hospital, and he soon became a suspect. His name was Malcolm, and he had recently been cut off by Sean. Malcolm told the police that he was cut off, but he had nothing to do with Sean’s death. He told them that he had been at a bar during the time of the murder. This was confirmed, but the police couldn’t rule him out. The bar was only about 15 minutes from Sean’s home.
Sean’s Legal Battle
During the investigation, the police learned that two years before the murder, in 2005, Sean had been arrested on a gun charge. The episode of The Perfect Murder, referred to it as an incident in which Sean had brought a gun to get his ATVs back from the men who had stolen them. Wikipedia says that Sean had fired his gun into a stolen vehicle.
The men eventually took Sean to trial in April 2006. They had hoped that they would received a large payout. Sean pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery assault charges. Sean was placed on probation, and ordered to do community service. The men didn’t receive the large payout they were hoping.
This led was eventually ruled out, despite the men having criminal records.
Greed: A Deadly Sin
A few days into the investigation, a tip came in. The tipster said that the men involved in Sean’s death were from Ft. Myers, Florida.
The police went to speak to Sean’s half-sister Sasha, who also lived in the area. They asked her if she knew of anyone from the area that would want to hurt Sean. Sasha said that she had invited her boyfriend and his friends to some of Sean’s parties. Sean opened his house to everyone, and was often very generous with what he had.
These men were Jason Mitchell, 19, Charles Wardlow, 18, Eric Rivera, 17, Timmy Lee Brown, 16, and Venjah Hunte, 20. Jason had rented a car on the night of the murder. They hadn’t paid the tolls between Ft. Myers and Miami, and were hit with a violation.
The police also obtained their cell phone records. The records placed Eric Rivera and Charles Wardlow next to Sean’s home on the night of the murder.
The police surveilled the suspects, and on November 30, four of five suspects were arrested.
The Confessions and Convictions
At first, all of the suspects denied being involved.
Eric was pointed at as being the actual shooter, and Jason as the mastermind. In fact, Jason had broken into Sean’s house the week before the murder, for a test run.
They were all arrested. Timmy Lee Brown was arrested and later charged, after he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He bragged that he had been involved, and avoided talking to the police.
It took 7 years for the men to go on trial. Eric Rivera went first in 2013. He was convicted of felony second degree murder, armed burglary and home invasion with a firearm. It was later changed to first degree murder. He was sentenced to 57 years in prison.
Jason Mitchell was also convicted of the same charges. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Charles Wardlow was sentenced to 30 years.
Venjah Hunte was sentenced to 29 years.
Timmy Lee Brown was sentenced to 18 years.
The gun was never found, despite the police having searched for it numerous times. One of the perpetrators had told the police that the gun was put into a sock, and thrown into the Everglades.
It’s believed that they had known or thought that Sean had a large amount if money around his home. They didn’t know Sean was going to be home that night. He had a machete, and probably defended himself, his fiancé, and daughter.
Timmy Lee Brown
Other
Sean wore the number 21 for the Washington Redskins. It was retired on October 17, 2021.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sean Taylor was a successful football player, a father, a son and brother, He lost his life all because of some greedy teenagers. They not only took someone else’s life, but ruined their own. I believe they were all willing participants in planning and carrying out the crime. They all deserve to rot in prison for life if you ask me.
Sean deserved to finish out his career, spend time with his family, and watch his daughter grow up. That was all taken away because of greed. It’s heartbreaking, and I feel so badly for Sean’s loved ones.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Taylor
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/10340041/man-gets-57-years-prison-sean-taylor-death
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article1965424.html
https://praisedc.com/2314790/washington-football-team-set-to-retire-sean-taylors-21/amp/
