Teen Signs Murder Plea Deal, May Go Free Soon
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A teen whose life sentence for beating a 6-year-old playmate to death was thrown out signed documents pleading guilty to second-degree murder in a deal that could get him out of prison as early as this month.
Lionel Tate, 16, signed the papers at a maximum-security juvenile prison in Okeechobee, where he is being held in the 1999 death of Tiffany Eunick.
In the deal, Tate would be sentenced to three years in prison -- most of which he has already served -- plus one year of house arrest and 10 years’ probation. A judge still has to ratify the plea deal, Tate’s lawyer said.
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