Lionel Tate released
Florida teenager free after three years in prison
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Tate and his mother, Kathleen Grossett-Tate, are seen Monday following his release from prison.
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Lionel Tate, the teenager sentenced to life for killing a 6-year-old playmate, was granted bond and released after three years in prison. CNN's Susan Candiotti reports (January 27)
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN) -- Lionel Tate, the teenager sentenced to life for killing a 6-year-old playmate, was granted bond and released after three years in prison.
Tate walked out of the Broward County Jail late Monday afternoon and was met by a crowd of media and supporters.
In a five-minute hearing earlier in the day, Judge Joel Lazarus -- the same man who originally sentenced him -- ordered Tate released on his own recognizance on the condition that he wear an electronic monitoring device.
After the ruling by Lazarus, Tate's mother hugged her son, who will turn 17 Friday.
Tate will return to court Thursday and plead guilty to second-degree murder. The Associated Press reported that Tate will first meet with a psychologist who will test his mental competence before Thursday's hearing.
According to the plea agreement, Tate is to be sentenced to the three years he has already served, another year of house arrest and 10 years of probation -- the same deal he was offered before his trial nearly three years ago.
Tate, who was 12 years old at the time of the killing in 1999, is believed to be the youngest person in the United States sentenced to life without parole.
He is getting a "second bite at the apple," the prosecutor in the case told reporters earlier in the day. "He now has to stand up and take responsibility. If he wants to accept this plea deal -- he has to plead guilty."
The state decided not to retry him after an appeals court last month threw out his first-degree murder conviction because he was never given a competency hearing before or during the trial. (Full story)
During trial, Tate's attorneys argued that the death of Tiffany Eunick was an accident, that Tate was imitating wrestling moves he had seen on television.
Prosecutors argued her death was a brutal killing, that she suffered dozens of injuries, from a fractured skull to a dislodged liver.
Since the trial, Tate has continued to maintain he was not guilty.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
