Youth who faced life in Florida prison in death of 6-year-old is set free

Jet, Feb 16, 2004

A 17-year old Florida boy convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1999 roughhousing death of a 6-year-old girl has been set free.

After an appeals court threw out Lionel Tate's first-degree murder conviction last December, Tate struck a plea bargain--entering a plea of guilty to second-degree murder--that allowed him to walk out of prison.

The plea hearing, which took place a day before his 17th birthday, came three years after he received a mandatory life sentence for the death of Tiffany Eunick. Under the deal, he was sentenced to time already served behind bars.

Tate went home with his mother, Kathleen Grossett-Tate, where he will spend a year under house arrest and continue to study culinary arts to complete his high school diploma. They shared a wide smile and hugs before they emerged from Broward County Jail with attorneys and other supporters.

Tate, at 170 pounds, was 12 when he punched, kicked and stomped Eunick to death. He had claimed he accidentally killed the 48-pound girl while imitating professional wrestling moves be had seen on television.

"I just want to give God thanks first and foremost," said Grossett-Tate. "Continue to pray for us because we're going to need it. This is a new chapter in our lives, and we're just going to go forward."

The case stirred debate over a Florida law that requires children convicted of first-degree murder to get life in prison without parole.

Supporters rallied from the Vatican to the United Nations to free Tare since his conviction.

After Tate's conviction was thrown out (JET, Jan. 19), prosecutors renewed their offer of a three-year sentence in exchange for a guilty plea to second-degree murder, the same offer Tate's mother had previously turned down.

He was also sentenced to 10 years probation, counseling and 1,000 hours of community service.

Tiffany's mother, Deweese Eunick-Paul, said she agreed to the plea sentence because Tate was so young at the time of the killing and that she hoped be would admit he was responsible for the death and stop claiming it was an accident.

"We wanted Lionel to step up and say, 'Look, I have done something wrong here. I'm guilty of this, I'm sorry about this,'" she said.