Jason Mitchell, the man believed to be the mastermind of the botched burglary that resulted in the death of Sean Taylor, was convicted of first-degree felony murder and armed burglary and was sentenced to life in prison. Mitchell is the second man convicted in connection with the shooting death of the former Redskins safety. His conviction comes seven months after accomplice Eric Rivera was convicted of second-degree murder. Rivera, was sentenced to 57 years in prison for the part he played in Taylor’s death and is believed to be the shooter.
Mitchell is believed to be the brains behind the operation. He planned to rob Taylor’s home believing he would be out of town at a Redskins game during the Nov. 26, 2007 invasion. Unfortunately Taylor was home due to an injury.
According to CBS Sports Taylor confronted the multiple intruders at his residence and ended up getting shot in the leg. The bullet severed Taylor’s femoral artery, a mortal wound that caused Taylor to bleed to death.
Robert Barrar, Mitchell’s lawyer, said that his client should only have faced a burglary charge because he wasn’t responsible for actually killing Taylor.
Assistant State Attorney Reid Rubin said it was Mitchell’s plan, so he’s the guy to blame, “It doesn’t matter whether they planned to kill him (Taylor) or intended to kill him, he died as a result of that burglary and they are all responsible for it,” Rubin told the 12-person jury in closing arguments. “At the center of it all was Jason Mitchell.”
Besides Rivera and Mitchell, two other men still await trial for Taylor’s death while another man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and burglary.
– Shaina Auxilly (@Shay_Marie)
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