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As I'm sure you may remember, after Sean Taylor was shot in his home there were a fair number of people that said it was his past coming back to haunt him. And unfortunately, I'm pretty sure some people still hold that opinion even after it was determined that Taylor was shot by individuals he had no real connection with whatsoever (one suspect had apparently met him once).But today, it appears there may be an even sadder twist to the story. Police now believe that the tragedy may have been the result of Taylor's generosity.
According to details released today by the Miami police (courtesy of the St. Petersburg Times), Jason Mitchell, one of four men charged in the Redskin star's murder, told Miami-Dade detectives that Taylor gave wads of cash — $10,000 each — to Taylor's brother and sister. The siblings, Sasha and Jamal Johnson, flashed the cash in front of their friends during Sasha's September birthday party. Apparently, Mitchell was there.
"I was just like, 'That's a lot of money,'" Mitchell said to police Nov. 30, four days after the killing.
Other details were also released.
•The men said they drove from Fort Myers to South Florida in a black rental sport utility vehicle, driven by Rivera.
•Only Mitchell had previously met Taylor, but the others knew he was a professional football player.
•Mitchell said he considered turning himself in after he learned of Taylor's death, but did not. He gave no reason. He also said the group almost ran out of gas on the way back to Fort Myers but scraped together $2 in change to make it home.
•Hunte said the men went to a friend's house after they returned to Fort Myers but did not talk about what happened in Miami-Dade. "We just sat. We just chilled, trying to get (expletive) out of our minds . …"
•Rivera said "all five of us" burned their clothing. When a detective asked for a reason, Rivera replied: "Nobody can find out who did it."
The most painful thing about this is that it just reiterates how innocent Taylor was. And how sometimes even generosity has the ability to hurt you.
I realize some people out there will still say Taylor made a mistake by giving out the money to his siblings, but that's unfair. This was, plain and simple, a terrible tragedy that had nothing to do Taylor's past.
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