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A second man has been convicted in connection with the shooting death of former Redskins safety Sean Taylor.
Jason Mitchell, the man believed to be the ringleader of a botched home invasion at Taylor's residence in November 2007, was convicted of first-degree felony murder and armed burglary on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison following the conviction, according to the Miami Herald. Mitchell's sentence comes seven months after accomplice Eric Rivera was convicted of second-degree murder. Rivera, 23, was sentenced to 57 years in prison for the part he played in Taylor's death.
Mitchell is believed to have masterminded the plan to rob Taylor's home. The belief was that Taylor, a Washington safety, would be out of town at a Redskins game during the Nov. 26, 2007 home invasion, but Taylor was actually at home due to an injury.
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 killing Taylor. Rivera is believed to have pulled the trigger.
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.
