Sean Taylor Murder: Latino Man Convicted of Killing Redskins Star

Sean Taylor's murderer was today convicted in Florida on a charge of second-degree murder, CBS reports. Eric Rivera Jr., was charged with the killing of Washington Redskins start Sean Taylor during a robbery gone wrong. The jury reached its verdict after a 16 hours of deliberation over four days. Rivera, 23, was also convicted of armed burglary. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy has not set a sentencing date but will hold a hearing on Dec. 10. However, the death penalty is not an option as Rivera was a teenager at the time of the crime.

Rivera told police in a video confession that he, along with five young men, had driven to Sean Taylor's house in the hopes of stealing cash kept on the premises. Rivera said that he shot Taylor after kicking down the door. Taylor's then-girlfriend, Jackie Garcia Haley, and their 18-month-old daughter, were also home at the time, however, they escaped injury. At the trial, 23-year-old Rivera said that his confession was given under police coercion, insisting he never went inside the house. The murder weapon was never found to determine the killer's identity.

Four other men have also been charged with robbery and second-degree murder: Venjah Hunte, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder has been sentenced to 29-years in prison. The three remaining suspects will be tried later. In NFL.com's report, there are suggestions that the verdict may have been a compromise. Former federal prosecutor David S. Winstein state in an interview wiht the Football site that "There was no eyewitness to put the gun in Rivera's hand and that is what at least one juror needed to convict him of first-degree murder.