Thousands Mourn Sean Taylor; Suspects Denied Bail

Mourners gathered Sunday to mark the life of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor, as four young men sat in Florida jail cells charged with his murder.

Those coming to pay respects at Taylor's viewing began arriving at Second Baptist Church in Miami over an hour before the public memorial opened.

The service Sunday came hours after a fourth man charged in the shooting death of Taylor appeared in court and, like his co-defendants, was denied bond.

Jason Mitchell, 19, has been charged with Sean Taylor's murder along with three other suspects - Eric Rivera, 17; Charles Wardlow, 18; and Venjah Hunte, 20.

All four face counts of unpremeditated murder, home invasion with a firearm or another deadly weapon and armed burglary. They will be transported to Miami.

Probable cause affidavits for Mitchell and Rivera say the two confessed to armed burglary. According to reports, Mitchell and Rivera admitted entering the home and said someone had a gun and shot Sean Taylor, but they didn't identify who. Police have said some of the young men confessed, but wouldn't elaborate.

Police said the four suspects in the Taylor killing were planning on a simple burglary, but it quickly turned bloody when they were startled to find him home.

Police remain tight-lipped about how the Sean Taylor murder suspects wound up at his home. The Miami Herald reported Mitchell cut the player's lawn and did chores at the house, while Taylor's sister, Sasha, dates Wardlow's cousin.

The Naples Daily News quoted Jason Mitchell's mother as saying that her son was at a birthday party at Taylor's home within the past two months.

Early Monday, Taylor and his longtime girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, were awakened by loud noises at his home. Within moments, someone broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one hitting Taylor in the upper leg.

Neither the couple's 18-month-old daughter, also named Jackie, nor Jackie Garcia (the niece of actor Andy Garcia) were injured in the break-in.

The bullet damaged the femoral artery in Taylor's leg, causing major blood loss. He never regained consciousness and died early Tuesday.

In the Washington Redskins' first game since the death of Sean Taylor, the defense fielded 10 men - one man short - for the first play from scrimmage, letting a void in the secondary honor their fallen teammate. The Redskins lost to Buffalo, 17-16.