Sean Taylor murder case defendant wants to change plea

The man who drove a band of young men from Fort Myers to Miami for an ill-fated burglary that ended in the slaying of NFL star Sean Taylor goes to court Friday in a bid to rescind his guilty plea.

A Miami-Dade judge will hear testimony in the case of Venjah Hunte, 21, who last year pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against four co-defendants in exchange for a 29-year sentence.

But Hunte, claiming he did not understand the deal struck with prosecutors, filed a motion in June seeking to vacate his plea.

If Hunte violates the deal by not testifying against the others, he faces life in prison.

Taylor was shot in the groin on Nov. 26, 2007, during a botched burglary at his Palmetto Bay house.

The Washington Redskins and University of Miami star died later at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

The other defendants -- accused gunman Eric Rivera, 19; Jason Mitchell, 21; Charles Wardlow, 20, and Timmy Lee Brown, 18 -- are all in jail and awaiting trial on murder charges. They allegedly were looking for a stash of cash they believed was in Taylor's house.

The court has waived attorney-client privilege for Hunte's former lawyer, Michael Hornung, who is expected to testify Friday. Hunte says Hornung gave him ``ineffective representation'' leading to the plea deal. Hornung declined to comment, citing a gag order imposed by Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy.



(miamiherald.com)