Taylor death suspect pleads guilty to second degree murder

By Simon Evans

MIAMI (Reuters) - One of five defendants charged with the death of Washington Redskins NFL footballer Sean Taylor faces a 29-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to second degree murder and armed burglary.

Twenty-year-old Venjah Hunte, whose plea was kept under seal, may now need to testify against the four other men involved in the trial, his lawyer Michael F Hornung said on Thursday.

"Mr. Hunte pled guilty on Friday May 9th to the reduced charge of second degree murder and armed burglary," said Hornung.

"The negotiated plea calls for 29 years incarceration and for him to testify truthfully in a trial against the co-defenders."

Taylor, 24, was shot in the groin during a robbery at his home in Palmetto Bay south of Miami in November, resulting in a severed femoral artery. He died the next day in the hospital after losing massive amounts of blood.

Taylor, a safety, was the Redskins' first pick of the 2004 NFL draft and made the league's Pro Bowl team last year.

Earlier this week, police arrested a fifth suspect, 16-year-old Timothy Lee Brown -- the other three men charged were all teenagers at the time of their arrest.

"Mr. Hunte accepted responsibility. He is now locked into a 29-year sentence or less depending on any gain he gets," said Hornung.