Editing Lionel Tate (section)

==Biography==
===Background===
Tate was described as bright, and street smart, had an eight year history of major behavior problems including fighting, assault, lying, stealing, [[bullying]], and fifteen school suspensions. A psychologist who examined Tate described him as having "a high potential for violence, uncontrolled feelings of anger, resentment, and poor impulse control."

===The incident===
On July 28, 1999, Tate was left alone with Eunick, who was being babysat by Tate's mother, Kathleen Grossett-Tate. While the children were downstairs playing, Tate's mother called to them to be quiet. Tate came up 45 minutes later to see that Eunick was not breathing. He said that while they were wrestling, he had her in a headlock and the child's head hit a table. Only Eunick and Grossete-Tate were present when this occurred.

Autopsy revealed that Eunick had suffered 35 separate injuries. Her legs, feet, and neck all had serious bruises; an example of the amount of force used on her was similar to bruises from that of a speeding car. Her other injuries included a fractured skull, fractured rib, and swollen brain. These injuries were characterized as "similar to those she would have sustained by falling from a three-story building."

It has been reported that Tate was a fan of the World Wrestling Federation's television programs and used professional wrestling moves on Eunick.
===Sentencing and aftermath===
The sentence was controversial because Tate was 12 years old at the time of the murder, and his victim was 6. He was the youngest person in modern US history to be sentenced to life imprisonment, bringing broad criticism on the treatment of juvenile offenders in the justice system of the state of Florida.

After the conviction, the prosecution openly joined Tate's plea for leniency in sentencing and even offered to help in his appeal. The trial judge criticized the prosecution for compromising the integrity of the adversarial system, and said that if the prosecution felt that life imprisonment was not warranted, they should not have charged him with murder in the first place.

In January 2004, a state appeals court overturned his conviction on the basis that his mental competency had not been evaluated before trial. This opened the way for Tate to accept the same plea deal he originally turned down, and he was released on one year's house arrest and 10 years' probation.
===Armed robbery conviction===
On May 23, 2005, Tate was charged with armed burglary with battery, armed robbery, and violation of probation, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said.

On February 19, 2008, Tate said no contest to the robbery and was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. The sentence will run concurrently with his 30-year sentence for violating his probation. Tate is currently imprisoned in the Charlotte Correctional Institution.

[[Category:Modern Villains]]
[[Category:Male]]
[[Category:Imprisoned]]
[[Category:Young villains]]
[[Category:Murderer]]
[[Category:Thief]]
[[Category:Criminals]]
[[Category:Thugs]]
[[Category:Brutes]]
[[Category:Remorseful]]
[[Category:Wrathful]]
[[Category:Liars]]
[[Category:Homicidal]]
[[Category:Sadists]]
[[Category:Bully]]
[[Category:Living Villains]]
[[Category:Mentally Ill]]
[[Category:United States of America]]