Prosecutors offer deal in wrestling case
Murder conviction and life sentence thrown out earlier this month
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida - Prosecutors said Friday they would offer Lionel Tate a plea bargain that could mean almost immediate freedom for the boy whose murder conviction and life sentence for the slaying of a 6-year-old playmate were thrown out earlier this month.
The deal is identical to one Tate and his mother rejected in 2001, before he went to trial.
Jim Lewis, Tate's attorney, did not immediately return a call for comment.
Tate beat 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick to death when he was 12, claiming he accidentally killed her while imitating pro wrestling moves he had seen on television.
He was tried as an adult, convicted of first-degree murder and received an automatic life-without-parole sentence in a case that led to international criticism of Florida's tough handling of juveniles who kill.
The plea bargain would let Tate, now 16, plead guilty to second-degree murder and receive a sentence of three years in prison, of which he has already served 33 months, Broward State Attorney Michael J. Satz said in a statement.
That would be followed by a year under house arrest and 10 years of probation. Tate would also have to undergo psychological treatment.
Two weeks ago, an appeals court threw out Tate's conviction, saying his mental competency should have been evaluated before the trial. The judges expressed concern about Tate's apparent immaturity and possible misunderstanding of the plea bargain.
If he had accepted the plea bargain, he could have been out of prison 10 months ago.
The appeals court left it to prosecutors to decide whether to retry him.
Tate's sentence in January 2001 drew international criticism as his mother and supporters brought the case to a U.N. human rights meeting in Geneva and Pope John Paul II in Rome. Florida prosecutes more children as adults than any other state.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3812595/
Murder conviction and life sentence thrown out earlier this month
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida - Prosecutors said Friday they would offer Lionel Tate a plea bargain that could mean almost immediate freedom for the boy whose murder conviction and life sentence for the slaying of a 6-year-old playmate were thrown out earlier this month.
The deal is identical to one Tate and his mother rejected in 2001, before he went to trial.
Jim Lewis, Tate's attorney, did not immediately return a call for comment.
Tate beat 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick to death when he was 12, claiming he accidentally killed her while imitating pro wrestling moves he had seen on television.
He was tried as an adult, convicted of first-degree murder and received an automatic life-without-parole sentence in a case that led to international criticism of Florida's tough handling of juveniles who kill.
The plea bargain would let Tate, now 16, plead guilty to second-degree murder and receive a sentence of three years in prison, of which he has already served 33 months, Broward State Attorney Michael J. Satz said in a statement.
That would be followed by a year under house arrest and 10 years of probation. Tate would also have to undergo psychological treatment.
Two weeks ago, an appeals court threw out Tate's conviction, saying his mental competency should have been evaluated before the trial. The judges expressed concern about Tate's apparent immaturity and possible misunderstanding of the plea bargain.
If he had accepted the plea bargain, he could have been out of prison 10 months ago.
The appeals court left it to prosecutors to decide whether to retry him.
Tate's sentence in January 2001 drew international criticism as his mother and supporters brought the case to a U.N. human rights meeting in Geneva and Pope John Paul II in Rome. Florida prosecutes more children as adults than any other state.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3812595/
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