Authorities in Florida have formally charged four men with murder in the shooting death of U.S. professional football player Sean Taylor.
Three of the suspects appeared in a Miami courtroom Saturday), while the fourth is expected to appear in court on Sunday. Authorities also charged the men - Eric Rivera, Venjah Hunte, Charles Wardlow, and Jason Mitchell - with armed robbery and home invasion.
Police arrested the four on Friday. They say at least some of the suspects have confessed.
A police spokesman says he believes the suspects did not expect that the Washington Redskins football player would be home when they broke into his Miami house on Monday. He says their initial motive was theft, not murder.
Taylor was home for treatment of a knee injury. He sustained a fatal gunshot wound after he was awakened by intruders and brandished a knife at them. A bullet severed the major artery in his leg, causing significant blood loss, and the 24-year-old star died early Tuesday.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
