MIAMI (WSVN) - A judge has denied the request for a shorter sentence from the man convicted of killing NFL player Sean Taylor.
Now 28 years old, Eric Rivera faced a judge Wednesday, hoping to get his 57.5 year sentence reduced. Rivera was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2007 fatal shooting of Sean Taylor.
“I ask the court to give me a second chance at society,” said Rivera. “I know I can be a productive citizen.”
The judge later denied his request, and he remains in prison until the year 2065.
Rivera, who was 17 at the time, was one of five men who set out to burglarize Taylor’s home. However, Taylor was home at the time and was shot and killed.
Speaking to Taylor’s family at his trial, a remorseful Rivera expressed, “I’m truly sorry for your loss.”
Rivera first confessed to pulling the trigger but later changed his story.
Jurors convicted Rivera of second-degree murder after being unable to decide who pulled the trigger.
One co-defendant got life in prison, and three others received sentences that were significantly less than Rivera’s.
“We’re satisfied with the court’s decision. We think it’s the correct decision,” said Reid Rubin of the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office.
“I don’t think that he should be treated no different than the other four individuals,” said Rivera’s mother. “He was the only individual that was found and convicted of not having a firearm. He’s the only defendant sentenced to 57 years, and that is not fair justice.”
Rivera’s sentence will be up for review once he spends 15 years in prison.
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