Teen in Wrestling Death to Plea Guilty

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story....=20010116WXS104

 

Teen in Wrestling Death to Plea Guilty

By TIM REYNOLDS

 

MIAMI (AP) - A teenager whose life sentence for beating a 6-year-old playmate to death was thrown out signed documents Sunday pleading guilty to second-degree murder in a deal that could get him out of prison as early as this month.

 

Lionel Tate, 16, signed the papers at a maximum security juvenile prison in Okeechobee, where he is being held for the 1999 death of Tiffany Eunick. Tate was 12 when he punched, kicked and stomped the 48-pound girl to death.

 

His first-degree murder conviction and life sentence were overturned last month, and prosecutors offered the same plea deal Tate and his mother declined before trial. In the deal, Tate would be sentenced to three years in prison - most of which he has already served - plus one year of house arrest and 10 years probation.

 

``Just knowing it's all been signed, I'm very happy for him that he and his mom are on the same wavelength and moving forward,'' said Richard Rosenbaum, Tate's attorney.

 

A judge still has to ratify the plea deal, a process that could take a few weeks, Rosenbaum said. No hearings have been scheduled, but Rosenbaum said he is hopeful Tate could be released by the end of the month.

 

The teen's mother, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kathleen Grossett-Tate, said the decision to sign was a difficult one and that she would have preferred her son to plead guilty to manslaughter instead of murder, since she and her son contend Tiffany's death was accidental.

 

``He did not receive a fair trial the first time,'' Grossett-Tate said. ``For us to go back to trial again, I know he would not get a fair trial.''

 

Still, she said after the signing, ``It's about time he comes home.''

 

A message left for Ken Padowitz, who prosecuted Tate and now represents Tiffany's mother in private practice, was not returned Sunday. He has said in the past that the girl's mother was pleased that Tate was accepting responsibility for the murder for the first time.

 

Special prosecutors appointed nearly two years ago cleared Grossett-Tate of any wrongdoing in Tiffany's death. Grossett-Tate was baby-sitting the girl in her Pembroke Park home at the time of her death. Grossett-Tate said she was upstairs napping when the girl was injured.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

The teen's mother, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kathleen Grossett-Tate, said the decision to sign was a difficult one and that she would have preferred her son to plead guilty to manslaughter instead of murder, since she and her son contend Tiffany's death was accidental.

 

``He did not receive a fair trial the first time,'' Grossett-Tate said. ``For us to go back to trial again, I know he would not get a fair trial.''

 

-Dumb bitch...yeah punching, kicking and stomping a defenseless 12 year old is really accidental. Man, it's things like these that I wish there were a liscence to kill in the US

[Use Your Illusion 0]

-Dumb bitch...yeah punching, kicking and stomping a defenseless 12 year old is really accidental. Man, it's things like these that I wish there were a liscence to kill in the US

Ahem.

 

There's American logic for you all.

 

UYI

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

-Dumb bitch...yeah punching, kicking and stomping a defenseless 12 year old is really accidental. Man, it's things like these that I wish there were a liscence to kill in the US

Ahem.

 

There's American logic for you all.

 

UYI

I find the "American" in your sig to be more offensive.

 

Don't act like this is a grave injustice, as I'm sure that's the way many of you feel. He'll still spend like fifty years incarcerated or what not. I guess most people here believe that prison is used more for punishment as opposed to rehabilitation.

[EricMM 0]

Did you read the article, he's getting out like next month...

[Guest Smues]

This is a crock of shit. If the deal were say 10 years, I'd be ok with it. But what's the FUCK of offering him a deal that gets him out next month? It's a bunch of shit they reject the deal and lose the trial, but this time around OH OH WE'LL SIGN. Fuck that the proesecture blew it.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Oh come one now -- I'm sure he's said he's sorry by now...

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

My bad, I had assumed that if he pleads guilty to murder that he would only get like 20 years instead of life. But a month? A more severe punishment is needed. You all are right in bitching about this, and I am wrong in standing up for the bastard. I'm sure he'll get his.

[Guest BDC]

He'll get out, beat someone else to death and people will go "How could we know?"

 

I'm calling it now.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

My bad, I had assumed that if he pleads guilty to murder that he would only get like 20 years instead of life. But a month? A more severe punishment is needed.

Like an extended time-out or no dessert for a week?...

[AlwaysPissedOff 0]

What a bunch of spineless pussies those prosecutors are. I hope when this kid fucks around and kills someone else, that they throw THEM in there with him.

 

And fuck his blind ass mother, as well. "It was accidental", MY ASS.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

My bad, I had assumed that if he pleads guilty to murder that he would only get like 20 years instead of life. But a month? A more severe punishment is needed.

Like an extended time-out or no dessert for a week?...

That's cold bro, real cold. I always thought your sarcasm would be reserved for someone else, but alas...

 

Like I said, I thought twenty years was the sentence, which is still not that much, but no reason to bitch. I was wrong, and the million dollar question "Did you actually read the article?" could be answered with a no. MY BAD.

 

No dessert for a week? I never ate dessert. EVER. It's for pussies and fat kids. Even at camp where they serve everything together like you're some close-knit family or some shit, I turned that crap away, because I am not what I eat.

[syxx2001 0]

Or the previous 3 years he was in prison.

[Guest MikeSC]

Or the previous 3 years he was in prison.

So, butchering a 6-year old girl is only a 3-year prison sentence type crime?

 

Yup, THAT will teach the little moron a lesson.

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

My bad, I had assumed that if he pleads guilty to murder that he would only get like 20 years instead of life. But a month? A more severe punishment is needed.

Like an extended time-out or no dessert for a week?...

That's cold bro, real cold. I always thought your sarcasm would be reserved for someone else, but alas...

Wasn't aimed at you.

 

It was a follow-up to my earlier post, which is playing on the fact that if we just make people say "I'm sorry" then they can get out of the death penalty or other harsh punishments...

[Jobber of the Week 0]

I like how all this money was spent on attorneys for years just for the kid to break down and admit to it so he won't even spend a month paying his dues for it.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Yeah. Great.

 

If this family didn't, then they should pay for all court costs and expenses...

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Did the article mention he had a pretty low I.Q. (a.k.a bordering retarded)?

 

 

It's not like some douche bag backyard wrestling were they know what their doing is wrong. This kid had mental troubles and got carried away with what he thought was real.

 

SHOULDN'T SOMEONE HAVE BEEN WATCHING HIM!?!

[Guest MikeSC]

Did the article mention he had a pretty low I.Q. (a.k.a bordering retarded)?

 

 

It's not like some douche bag backyard wrestling were they know what their doing is wrong. This kid had mental troubles and got carried away with what he thought was real.

 

SHOULDN'T SOMEONE HAVE BEEN WATCHING HIM!?!

Or, in this case, when the mother heard the screaming, she should've checked rather than tell him to make the girl be quiet.

 

The mom is an uber-douche. Of course, her son will probably end up beating the crap out of her --- and laugh greatly will I.

-=Mike

[Guest MikeSC]

Yeah. Great.

 

If this family didn't, then they should pay for all court costs and expenses...

Isn't the mom a correction officer or something?

 

It's not like they could be sued and be made to pay a lot of money or anything --- and the mother was BEYOND negligent.

-=Mike

[Use Your Illusion 0]

-Dumb bitch...yeah punching, kicking and stomping a defenseless 12 year old is really accidental. Man, it's things like these that I wish there were a liscence to kill in the US

Ahem.

 

There's American logic for you all.

 

UYI

I find the "American" in your sig to be more offensive.

 

Don't act like this is a grave injustice, as I'm sure that's the way many of you feel. He'll still spend like fifty years incarcerated or what not. I guess most people here believe that prison is used more for punishment as opposed to rehabilitation.

What's offensive about Michael Jackson?

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

What's offensive about Michael Jackson?

 

His nose, or lack thereof...

[notJames 0]

The only one that should have been held accountable was the mother. She had the responsibility of watching both children* and failed to do so, resulting in the six-year-old's death. She should be the one to serve time.

 

*A 12-year-old is still a child in my eyes. If he was also mentally-challenged (as has been speculated/reported), all the more reason for the mother to accept responsibilty for the death.

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

The only one that should have been held accountable was the mother. She had the responsibility of watching both children* and failed to do so, resulting in the six-year-old's death. She should be the one to serve time.

 

*A 12-year-old is still a child in my eyes. If he was also mentally-challenged (as has been speculated/reported), all the more reason for the mother to accept responsibilty for the death.

 

Yeah I've always thought that would have been better if the mom served time. Hell when the little girl screamed instead of getting up and checking on it like anyone else would she would yell to be quit and went back to sleep.