Really? So Soon? You Already Know That?

I'm no Columbo...

...but something doesn't sound right here. No I am not ready to wade into the war over what we can and cannot say about Sean Taylor's life and death and who can say it. I am still not ready to engage.

So this is not about the supposed presupposition that Sean must have been murdered by an old associate or an enemy or the guy he roughed up over the ATVs or some homey. Or some resentful sycophant turned murderer or some ex girlfriend or Ted Bundy or Tommy Vercetti.

The Miami police had a press conference late yesterday. They believe Sean was the victim of a random burglary and not targeted, in fact they believe there is

"no reason" to think the incident was anything other than an attempted burglary, one likely involving more than one intruder...There is nothing that indicates that this was something that involved Sean," Parker said. "We're more along the lines, or the thought process, that this was a random occurrence

Unless the cops are going straight out of the academy playbook and running a misdirection this seems odd. Perhaps they have significant evidence, maybe not, but either way I suppose by announcing this was a random act they believe perhaps the suspects will not flee or will get careless.

But something is not right. The Washington Times reports

"This kid was assassinated; it was a hit," said one longtime Taylor friend with ties to the National Football League. "With the knife beside the bedside, it was obvious they came looking for him."

Also we know in the breakin last week a kitchen knife (butcher? steak? paring?) was left on Sean's bed. Maybe careless burglar needed a blade to cut something open, maybe it was left there as a message. I wonder, were there prints on that knife?

A breakin so close to last week's is unrelated? You know I'm not Magnum PI but if one perp breaks in last week and mentions in conversation how easy it was and that other person decides to try it and oops finds Sean at home? I think that's related.

Sean's lawyer thinks the two breakins are related (op. cit.). He also thinks Sunday night's perpetrators did not think Sean was home. I wonder if they checked the driveway for cars.

Also, I have come to understand that the fiancee and perhaps even a nanny live or stay in the house so do we know the circumstances around last week's breakin? Was anybody home? Does anybody actually live there full time? This piece on neighborhood reaction indicates that Sean's mother, long divorced from his father, lists the house as her permanent address and one of the rooms rifled by the burglars was listed as the bedroom of Sean's sister Sasha. Who really lives there?


Sean's friend and former University of Miami and current Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle

said Wednesday that Taylor had told him he was afraid every time he returned to the [Miami] area...

"This was not the first incident," Rolle told reporters in Arizona. "They've been targeting him for three years now."

Rolle, who said he had not spoken to Taylor in a while, did not offer any specifics, but added, "Sean, he had a large group of friends, and he no longer hung out with those friends, so you never know where this came from.

(op. cit.)

Antrel may not be Jim Rockford but something is amiss here. The burglars kicked open the bedroom door and shot him? It seems to me that if the burglars thought the house would be empty then they would have taken off when they heard noises. As it was there is nothing that appears missing from the house.

Also the WaPo piece (op. cit.) mentions two pieces of information that merit their own post, to follow immediately: 1) the phone line was not cut, fiancee Jackie Garcia had a 'hard time' operating the home phone and 2) the house does have an alarm system but it was not turned on. These two pieces of information contradict earlier reporting and it may be innocent in all the chaos but...odd.



Sean Taylor's home, police investigation underway: Wilfredo Lee / AP photo from here.