Findley+Montgomery+4A

Lionel Alexander Tate was born on January 30, 1987 in Florida. On June 28, 1999 Lionel, 12, murdered his 6 year old neighbor Tiffany Enuick. Kathleen Grossett-Tate was supossed to be babysitting Tiffany when the incedent happened, but went up stairs to take a nap, leaving the two children alone. Lionel killed her by throwing her onto a living room table, claims that is was an accident and he was trying to show her a wrestling move, but studies showed that it wasnt an accident. When he was 14 years old he was sentenced to a life in jail without parole, becoming the youngest person to be sentenced to a life in jail.

Lionel said that while his mother was sleeping, the two were just playing. Lionel's favorite sport was wrestling and he idolized the people who wrestled. While the two children were playing, Lionel decided to show Tiffany a wrestling move that he saw on TV the night before by picking her 48 pound body up and throwing her down. That is when she fell and hurt herself, Lionel claimed,with results ending in death. There was not much for his attourny to work with, because it was almost obvious that it was no mistake from the shape that the body was in. All though Lionel's mother, Kathleen who was a Florida highway patrol trooper, claimed that her son was no killer, it was obvious that the murder was no mistake.

The prosecutors didnt have as much of a hard time with figuring that is wasnt an accident as they did at trying to figure out why he would do it. From the injuries they found on Tiffany's body, it looked as though she had be thrown down and then stopmed on. The injuries resembled those that you would see on a person who fell from a 3-story-building. She had a lacerated liver from where she was stomped on, and then broken ribs and a fractured skull from when she was dropped. The prosecutors claimed that the reason Lionel killed Tiffany because he had a crush on her mother, Deweese Enuick-Paul. Deweese said that Lionel was the one to tell her that Tiffany was dead, and he rolled his eyes and shrugged with the words. A few days later he asked if he could move in with her and have Tiffany's toys. Judge Joel T. Lazarus, the justice for Lionel's case, said "The acts of Lional Tate were not the playful acts of a child, the acts of Lionel Tate were cold, callousand indescribably cruel."

When Lionel was 14 years old he was sentenced to a life in jail without any possibility of a parole. But in January of 2004 the state overturned his conviction because they did not check Lionel's mental state and felt that a life sentence was too much to give him. He was given a one year house arrest and then 10 years probation. ON September 3, 2004 he was put back in prison during his house arest because they found him in his house with a 4 inch knife in his hand. He was then put on a zero tolorence probation for an additional 5 years. On May 23, 2005, he was arested from armed robery and violation of probation. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison on May 18, 2006 for possesion of a gun and violating his probation.

I feel like this case related to what we've been learning because it shows that adolescet people are capable of comitting large crimes, just like Abby and her friends in the crucible. I think that the trial was fair because all though he was an adolescent, he still murdered a person. There was nothing else that the court could've done for him, because he is a murderer. Just because he was a child, doesn't mean that he could get off the hook for murdering his 6 year old neighbor. If someone is dangerous enough to kill someone, than they should not be walking down the streets. Had he been an adult, i don't think the court wouldve been so easy on him and give him house arrest, but he would've also been sentenced to life in jail. I think that the court handeled the case the right way, until they put him on house arrest. If he had a mental disability then he should've been sent somewhere where they could help him. If he was sick (mentaly ill) enough to kill a little girl because he had a crush on her mom, then he needs help before he goes and kills someone again.

 Lionel at his hearing after the armed robery.


 * (200 8, February 19). //Convicted child killer lionel tate accepts plea deal in probation pizza robbery//. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331293,00.html
 * (2007, October 26). //Florida: sentence for lionel tate is upheld// . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/us/26brfs-lionel.html?_r=1
 * Canady, D. (2001, March 10). //Sentence of life without parole for boy, 14, in murder of girl, 6// . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/10/us/sentence-of-life-without-parole-for-boy-14-in-murder-of-girl-6.html
 * (n.d.). //Lionel tate// . Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Tate
 * (2008, February 19). //Convicted child killer lionel tate accepts plea deal in probation pizza robbery// . Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331293,00.html