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Associated PressLionel Tate, now 16, was convicted in the 1999 killing of a 6-year-old girl in South Florida.
TALLAHASSEE - Advocates for Lionel Tate, a teenager sentenced to life in prison without parole for murder, told aides to Gov. Jeb Bush and the Cabinet Thursday that he should be given clemency and released.
"I appeal to you today to give Lionel a chance to have a life outside of prison," said the Rev. Thomas Masters, a Riviera Beach minister who has taken Tate's case to Pope John Paul II and to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
Tate was 12 when he killed 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick in 1999. His mother was babysitting the girl in their home in the South Florida city of Pembroke Park.
Two years later, Tate was tried as an adult, convicted of first-degree murder and given life without parole as state law requires. He is now 16 and living in a juvenile prison in Okeechobee.
Under Florida rules, Tate won't be eligible to apply for clemency unless the governor and at least one of the three independently elected Cabinet members agree to waive the rules.
"At the proper time, when it does come to me, I will make a decision that takes in all the factors," the governor said Thursday.
"I do think there should be some consideration, the age of a person, even if they commit a horrific crime. The circumstances in that case need to be looked at. But we also need to be mindful of the victims of these crimes that are committed by really young people as well."
Fort Lauderdale attorney Richard Rosenbaum said Tate has shown good progress in prison, though he's had minor discipline problems. He is learning to focus on improving his behavior and attitude, Rosenbaum said. Tate is also earning good grades in school courses, the lawyer said.
"His life is changed and he'll never be in trouble again," Rosenbaum told the aides.
Wendy Berger, the governor's clemency aide, said Tate seemed to have a hard time maintaining a good record. "He's good maybe a month, he's okay, then he's not so good," she said.
Berger also asked about Tate's account of how Tiffany was killed.
Rosenbaum said Tate's supporters believe Tiffany's death was an accident.
At trial, Tate's attorneys said he accidentally killed Tiffany while imitating professional wrestlers he'd seen on television. But experts testified that Tiffany died of a fractured skull and lacerated liver suffered during a beating that lasted as long as five minutes.