The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

USAFSkinFan wrote:I don't see any way this won't effect Taylor's coming into camp (on time) prepared either physically or mentally or both... the prosecuter's office has botched this from day 1... I hope the judge cut's them no slack whatsoever when they present their case...

I did not know about shots being fired. Can anybody speak on this and clear it up for me?

Fios wrote:Finally found this:

SkinsFreak wrote:OK, here we go. I was waiting until the end of the season to share this but since a thread was started, I will share a few tidbits with you.

I was born and raised in Maryland however my career has brought me to South Florida, specifically Miami / Dade County. I believe that the current known facts of this case are not being offered or articulated to the public on a national basis the way they are here in Florida, or to say, in a manor that reflects the true and known facts of this case. Here are some KNOWN facts:

1. Sean Taylor did show up with friend Charles Caughman to recover his stolen ATV's and punched a guy. This is true and Sean does not dipute this.

2. More than a dozen eyewitnesses submitted signed affidavits to the State Attorney's office and all said they would testify on Sean's behalf, that he never had a gun or pulled a gun on anyone.

3. The two accusers, including 21 year old Ryan Hill, are known gang members in the area with prior arrest records.

4. Sean Taylor submitted a "passed" lie detector test. (A guilty person would not subject themselves to this, )

5. The State Attorney did try to get Sean's friend Charles Coughman to testify against Sean. Obviously Coughman declined and said he will only testify on Sean's behalf.

6. The only "shooting" took place back at Seans or his mothers place (not sure on this one) But it was definately after Sean left the scene. SEAN'S SUV has the bullet holes in it. The police recovered bullet casings at this location. Everyone seems to forget that Sean is actually the victim in this case.

7. The prosecutor, Mike Grieco, has in the past tried to prosecute several well known public figures. This has been in the news here several times over the past few years. I believe he is just trying to make a name for himself by attacking celeb's just prior to his career as a defense lawyer. This is common for some DA's.

It is logical that the accusers would say that Sean had a gun first (...well he hit me first kind of thing) They are trying to to wiggle out of this and say it was self defense. But the KNOWN facts are much to the contrary. And further, it is NOT self defense when you go to another scene, away from the original location, and start shooting. Sorry, but from my perspective, Mike Grieco has no case and he knows it.

tcwest10 wrote:While it can never be introduced into the trial, Sean is not helping himself by carrying on the way he does on the field.

USAFSkinFan wrote:seems interesting how the prosecuter is pursuing charges on Taylor no matter what, but they're willing to drop the Charges on Hill, their key witness, when he was driving a truck that was transporting a stolen ATV... the cops cought him red-handed, that's more reliable eveidience than they've uncovered on ST in a year...

USAFSkinFan wrote:seems interesting how the prosecuter is pursuing charges on Taylor no matter what, but they're willing to drop the Charges on Hill, their key witness, when he was driving a truck that was transporting a stolen ATV... the cops cought him red-handed, that's more reliable eveidience than they've uncovered on ST in a year...

Redskins' Taylor to Accept a Plea Deal
Felony Charges Will Be Dismissed

By Amy Shipley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 1, 2006; E01

MIAMI, May 31 -- A plea deal has been reached in the felony assault case involving Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor that ensures that Taylor will not spend a day in jail and the felony charges against him will be dismissed, one of Taylor's attorneys said Wednesday.

Taylor, who faced up to 46 years in prison over charges related to a street fight last June, agreed to the plea terms Wednesday, according to attorney Larry R. Handfield, who joined Taylor's defense team in February.

The agreement, which will require the approval of Judge Leonard Glick, will be presented during a hearing Thursday morning in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building.

Handfield said Taylor, the Redskins' No. 1 draft pick in 2004, has agreed to plead no contest to one misdemeanor battery charge and one misdemeanor assault charge. The deal includes a withholding of a conviction, Handfield said, and the dismissal of three charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon that each carried a mandatory minimum three-year sentence.

Taylor also agreed to visit 10 schools in the inner city, providing $1,000 to each school, according to Handfield.

Taylor's trial had been scheduled for July 10, about three weeks before the start of Redskins' training camp. The deal, if accepted by the judge, would bring an end to a case that included seven delays and threatened to intersect with the upcoming season.

"Even though I was certain he would be vindicated at trial, this avoids the risk associated with any trial," Handfield said. "With the present charges, he was looking at 45 years in prison if he was found guilty. This way, he can be in training camp and put this behind him, close this chapter in his life."

Ed Griffith, a spokesman at the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office, declined to comment.

Taylor's defense team met with prosecutor Abe Laeser on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Handfield and Taylor's lead attorney Richard Sharpstein. Sharpstein, an attorney with the Washington-based Jorden Burt firm, declined to comment for this story on whether a deal had been reached.

Laeser is a respected veteran of the state attorney's office who took over the case about six weeks ago after allegations surfaced that the previous prosecutor, Mike Grieco, was using it to promote his side career as a Miami Beach disc jockey. After Grieco stepped down from the case, Taylor's trial was postponed from early May to mid-July.

The charges against Taylor stem from a fight in Miami that occurred last June 1 after Taylor went searching for two all-terrain vehicles he believed had been stolen from him. Police reports and depositions describing the incident said Taylor brandished a gun and issued threats before initiating a fistfight with the man he believed had stolen his property.

After retreating from the fight that involved at least a dozen people, according to depositions and court records, shots were fired into Taylor's GMC Yukon Denali while it was parked at a friend's house.

Days after the incident, Taylor was charged with one count of felony assault and one count of misdemeanor battery, which carry a combined maximum of 16 years in prison. In January, the prosecution brought two other felony charges, each adding another possible 15 years imprisonment.

Taylor acknowledged that a fight occurred but claimed it was prompted by the prosecution's main alleged victim, Ryan Hill, according to Ed Carhart, one of Taylor's attorneys. Taylor said Hill, against whom Taylor played high school football in Miami, attempted to force his way into Taylor's Denali and then threw Taylor to the ground, Carhart said.

Carhart also said Taylor denied waving a weapon.

Carhart did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday but said last week the case "weighs heavily on [Taylor] and is very frustrating for him. This is not easy to go through. If a jury decides to convict him, the judge has to give him three years at least."

Taylor's agent Drew Rosenhaus could not be reached. Taylor was credited last season with 80 tackles, third-most among the Redskins, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and one sack. Taylor attended Gulliver Prep in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is chief of police in Florida City, Fla.

"This is a fair and just resolution to this case that was blown out of proportion from the beginning," Taylor attorney Richard Sharpstein said. "It's a great outcome for Sean."

gspdark1 wrote:I know it's hard, but take yourself out as a 'Skins fan and ask youself if the deal was fair?

No jail time at all? Some speeches and scholarship contributions worth less that what he carries in his wallet?

gspdark1 wrote:I know it's hard, but take yourself out as a 'Skins fan and ask youself if the deal was fair?

No jail time at all?

.. Some speeches and scholarship contributions worth less that what he carries in his wallet?