NFL Player’s Killer Gets 57-Year Prison Sentence

Prosecutors say Eric Rivera shot and killed Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor

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NFL / AP

Washington Redskins' Sean Taylor, shown here in 2004, was killed in a home invasion in 2007.

A Florida man was sentenced to 57 years in prison Thursday for killing Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor during an attempted burglary in 2007.

Eric Rivera, 23, is one of five men charged in Taylor’s death, the Associated Press reports. Prosecutors say Rivera was the one who fired the shot that killed the NFL player, when the group broke into his home to steal cash.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy ordered Rivera’s 57-year sentence.

Rivera initially admitted to police that he shot Taylor and his confession was recorded on video. He told police then that he and his accomplices did not expect Taylor would be at home with a knee injury, since the Redskins had a game at the time. During the trial, Rivera claimed that the confession was false and wrongly coerced.

Rivera was initially charged with first-degree murder, but could not receive the death penalty because he was 17 years old when the attack took place. His lawyers say he plans to appeal the conviction.

[AP]