U.S. & World

Suspects In Taylor Murder Case Denied Bond

Men Are 'Agitated,' Under Suicide Watch

Report: Authorities Seeking 5th Suspect

MIAMI (CBS) ― A Miami Dade County judge has denied bond for three of the four suspects in Sean Taylor's murder case.

Venjah Hunte, 20, Jason Mitchell, 19, and Jason Wardlow, 18, all arrived at the county's jail facility around 8 p.m. Monday evening. The fourth suspect in custody, 17-year-old Eric Rivera, remains in a juvenile facility in Ft. Myers and is expected to be transferred to a juvenile detention in Miami Dade.

"I think he's in disbelief over what occurred," said Rivera's attorney, Wilbur Smith. "His expression to me was that 'I can't believe this kind of thing happened."'

Asked how he would defend his client, Smith said simply: "Stay tuned."

Attorneys said all the men were agitated and jail officials confirmed that those denied bail were under suicide watch.

"He's very distraught," said Hunte's attorney, Michael Hornung. "He's scared."

Hornung offered glimpses of his client's possible involvement. He said Hunte was the only one of the suspects with a valid driver's license and behind the wheel at least part of the time. He said Hunte did not have a gun and did not know his friends' plans.

"Just a bunch of friends that evening said they were going to the East Coast and he went along," Hornung said. "He had no idea whatsoever what was going on."

Hunte is cooperating with police, his attorney said, and would tell them everything he knows.

Jason Mitchell's attorney told The Miami Herald, a news partner of CBS Station WFOR in Miami, that police are looking for a fifth suspect in the burglary murder case of the Washington Redskins safety that occurred last week. However, the report does not have the name of the suspect they are looking for.

Probable cause affidavits for Mitchell and Rivera said the two confessed to participating in armed burglary. According to the reports, Mitchell and Rivera admitted entering the home and said someone had a gun and shot Taylor, but they didn't identify who.

Police and attorneys also have said some of the young men confessed, though they wouldn't elaborate.

Sunday, Mitchell was denied bond in a morning court appearance. The 19-year-old suspect responded quietly when asked by the judge if he understood the charges. The three other men charged in the Taylor case, Rivera, Wardlow and Hunte were also denied bond during their court appearance Saturday.

All four have been charged with unpremeditated murder, home invasion with a firearm or another deadly weapon and armed burglary.

WFOR reported from Ft. Myers court Saturday morning the first suspect to appear before Judge Hugh Starnes, was Rivera who allegedly confessed to the crimes.

Wilbur Smith, the attorney representing Rivera, said Saturday he expected a speedy resolution.

"There is not doubt that you are going to detain him," said Smith. "My take on this case is there is going to be a speedy resolution to it. This is not going to be one of those dragged out dramas."

Smith said his client was remorseful.

"It's an indescribable tragedy for the Taylor family, and it's a tragedy for the families of these other young men because their lives are down the tube," Smith said.

John Evans, the attorney representing Wardlow, said he had not heard if the murder weapon was found.

The four suspects all have prior arrests, according to Lee County Sheriff's Office records: Wardlow, 18, was arrested twice for selling marijuana and once for grand theft of a vehicle. Rivera, 17, has been arrested in October for trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine, and he previously was behind bars for altering the identification number on a firearm. Hunte, 20, was arrested previously this year on drug and trespassing charges. And Mitchell, 19, had been arrested twice, most recently in October on charges of driving with a suspended license and violation of probation.

Ironically, Wardlow's father, Vince, is just a few cells away in the jail, facing criminal charges for a Ft. Myers murder in 2006.

Miami Dade Police Public Safety Director Rober Parker said the robbery attempt at Taylor's home was a random incident and not a planned hit. The men involved, he said, thought they were stealing from an unoccupied home in Palmetto Bay, but when they were discovered by Taylor, one of them shot him in the leg, causing his death.

"They were certainly not looking to go there and kill anyone," Parker said. "They were expecting a residence that was not occupied, so murder or shooting someone was not their initial motive."

According to police the four of them got into an awaiting car and fled the scene of the crime. They believe they are the same suspects who had broken into the home earlier in the month, without being discovered.

"If those are the guys, I just hope that they'll just be dealt with properly. I feel there's nothing much I can say about it. It's no anger I can express to them. What's done is done." said Redskins' receiver Santana Moss.

Taylor and longtime girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, were awakened by loud noises at Taylor's home in an affluent Miami suburb early Monday morning, Sharpstein said. Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection, Sharpstein said, then someone broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor in the upper leg. Neither the couple's 18-month-old daughter, also named Jackie, nor Garcia were injured in the attack.

The bullet damaged the femoral artery in Taylor's leg, causing significant blood loss. Taylor never regained consciousness and died a little more than 24 hours later at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)