Plea Bargain May Free Teenage Killer

The mother of a teenager who received a life sentence for murdering a 6-year-old playmate has approved a plea bargain that could allow the boy to be released from prison in the next month, an attorney said Wednesday.

Richard Rosenbaum, Lionel Tate’s attorney, said the teen had been awaiting his mother’s approval. Rosenbaum estimated Tate could be released Jan. 29.

“Lionel Tate is ready to move on to the next stage of his life,” Rosenbaum said.

Tate was convicted of first-degree murder in 2001 and sentenced to life in prison without parole -- a punishment that set off worldwide criticism of Florida’s treatment of juveniles.

The youth’s lawyers argued that Tate was imitating the pro wrestling moves he saw on television and did not mean to kill Tiffany Eunick, a 48-pound girl who was punched, kicked and stomped to death. Tate, then 12, weighed 166 pounds at the time. He is now 16.

A state appeals court threw out the conviction and sentence in December, saying Tate’s mental competency should have been tested before trial.

Lawyers then began working on a plea deal that ended up being identical to one that Tate and his mother, Kathleen Grossett-Tate, declined before his 2001 trial.

The deal would let him plead guilty to second-degree murder and serve only the remaining three months of a three-year prison sentence, followed by house arrest and probation.

“I am thrilled that Lionel’s mother agreed that it’s better to be locked in one’s home rather than jail when you’re still only a child,” Rosenbaum said.

Michael Hursey, a lawyer advising Grossett-Tate, said he could not immediately comment. Henry Hunter, a lawyer also advising Tate’s mother, did not return phone messages.