Freedom Soon for Juvenile Lionel Tate
Really good news. The prosecutors in the Lionel Tate case have re-offered him the deal his mother turned down for him prior to trial. In three months he'll be out of prison, serve a year on home detention and then ten years on probation:
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.
More details of the case and history are available here.
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