WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Prosecutors said Friday they have offered Lionel Tate a plea bargain that could mean almost immediate freedom for the boy whose murder conviction and life sentence in the slaying of a 6-year-old playmate were thrown out earlier this month.
The deal is identical to one Tate and his mother rejected in 2001, before he went to trial.
Richard Rosenbaum, Tate’s appellate attorney, said he expects his client to make a decision in the next couple of weeks. He said he spoke to Tate Friday.
Tate, now 16, beat 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick to death when he was 12, claiming he accidentally killed her while imitating pro wrestling moves he had seen on television.
He was tried as an adult, convicted of first-degree murder and received an automatic life-without-parole sentence in a case that led to international criticism of Florida’s tough handling of juveniles who kill.
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