The circumstances of a confession by the alleged shooter is at center stage as trial opened in the 2007 slaying of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor.
A jury of 12 plus four alternates was seated last week to hear evidence against 23-year-old Eric Rivera Jr. Investigators say Taylor was shot when he confronted a group of youths who had broken into his Miami-area home. Taylor was home nursing a knee injury instead of accompanying the Redskins at a game.
A prosecutor told jurors in Monday's opening statements that they will see how Rivera described for detectives what happened in detail and how he shot Taylor during a botched burglary. Rivera's lawyer countered that the confession as forced and that her client didn't kill Taylor.
Rivera faces a life prison sentence if convicted. Four other people from the Fort Myers area were also charged, one of whom has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and burglary charges. The others face trial later.
Taylor, 24 when he died, was a Pro Bowl safety who also starred at the University of Miami.
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