As the region continues to mourn the loss of Sean Taylor, some hopeful news has come to light in the search for his killer. Over the course of the week, officials have stated that they have “no reason” to believe that Taylor was anything more than the random victim of a botched burglary. However, in a story broken by the Miami Herald, a relative of Taylor’s has announced that three men have now been detained by Miami-Dade police in conjunction with the homicide. The suspects — aged 17, 19 and 21 — reportedly heard someone bragging about Taylor’s wealth before breaking into his home. According to the Washington Post,
Taylor’s relative, who asked not to be named, said family members were briefed by a detective in the case early Friday. He said police told them that the men being questioned were from Miami but had fled to Fort Myers. The family was not told the names of the men, only that one was a juvenile, he said. But, he added, it was their understanding that the men do not have a personal connection to Taylor.
No official announcement has been made by Miami-Dade police — only that the investigation is continuing in the Fort Meyer area.
The Post’s Jason La Canfora, who has been actively covering this story on his Redskins Insider blog, quotes members of the organization about the latest developments. Coach Joe Gibbs said, “That’s good, that’s real good, I think that makes everybody around here extremely happy. We’re thankful for that, and we appreciate all the hard work everybody put into that.” Clinton Portis, a teammate of Taylor’s since their days at the University of Miami, said, “Hopefully, these are the guys and we’ll have something to cheer about and be excited about. Everybody wants to know why. But it’s still not going to bring back Sean … I’m sure everybody is just looking for a reason why Sean? Why him?” Portis also gave an emotional interview Tuesday afternoon on John Thompson’s radio show, which you can listen to here.
The Redskins are asking everyone going to the game at Fedex Field on Sunday to be in their seats by 12:15 p.m., so they can start the memorial service for Taylor on time.
