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MIAMI -- A jury has convicted a man of second-degree murder in the in the killing of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor, who was shot outside his bedroom after witnesses said he confronted a group of young men who broke into his home. The jury deliberated about 16 hours over four days before returning the verdict Monday in the trial of 23-year-old Eric Rivera Jr., who admitted in a videotaped confession to police days after Taylors death that he fired the fatal shot after kicking in the bedroom door. But at the trial, he said on the witness stand that his confession was given only under police pressure and amid purported threats to his family. Rivera sat quietly at the defence table with his lawyers after the verdict was announced, showing no reaction or emotion. The courtroom was packed with Taylor and Rivera family members -- and about two dozen security personnel -- but there were no outbursts. Rivera was also convicted of armed burglary. Although Rivera did not get the maximum first-degree murder conviction, he still faces a potential life prison sentence. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy did not immediately set a sentencing date but will hold a related hearing Dec. 10. Neither prosecutors, Taylors family nor the family of the football players girlfriend would comment afterward. Riveras parents, sisters, lawyers and friends also left without comment, as did the 12 jurors. In the confession, Rivera said the group of five young men, all from the Fort Myers area, drove to Taylors house planning to steal large amounts of cash he kept inside. They thought Taylor, 24, would be out of town at a game against Tampa Bay, but didnt realize until it was too late that he was home with a knee injury. Taylors then-girlfriend, Jackie Garcia Haley, and their 18-month-old daughter, were also home at the time but were not hurt. Four other men were also charged in the case and three will be tried later. Venjah Hunte, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and burglary charges in a deal that calls for a 29-year prison sentence. Testifying in his own defence, Rivera claimed it was Hunte who brought the 9mm handgun and who shot Taylor. Rivera insisted he was not told about the burglary plot until the group was driving toward Miami, and that he stayed in the car outside Taylors house the whole time. The gun was never found. Police say it was stuffed in a sock and thrown into the Everglades. Legal experts said Mondays verdict appeared to be a compromise, with at least some jurors doubting the confession and questioning whether Rivera, who was 17 at the time, truly pulled the trigger -- but not that he played a role in the burglary plot. "They believed that he was part of the burglary and was present when it occurred," said David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice. "There was no eyewitness to put the gun in Riveras hand and that is what at least one juror needed to convict him of first-degree murder." Taylor, a Pro Bowl safety who had starred at the University of Miami, was shot in the upper thigh, damaging his femoral artery and causing massive blood loss. Witnesses say Taylor was shot when he confronted the group with a machete outside his bedroom. A medical examiner said he was essentially dead on arrival at a hospital on Nov. 26, 2007, although doctors did manage to restart his heart for a while. Aside from Riveras confession, police found shoe prints outside Taylors home that matched sneakers some in the group were wearing that night. Witnesses testified Rivera was seen driving a rented black Toyota Highlander believed used in the crime, and another witness said the group of five had burglary tools when they came to her house after Taylor was shot. Taylor, a first-round Redskins draft pick in 2004, signed an $18 million contract with the team and was becoming one of the NFLs top defensive players when he was slain. Several witnesses, including Garcia Haley, testified that he liked to keep large amounts of cash around his Miami house. One of the men charged in the slaying, 25-year-old Jason Mitchell, attended a birthday party a few weeks earlier at the house for Taylors half-sister, Sasha Johnson -- who lived in Fort Myers and knew Rivera. She testified that Taylor gave her a purse containing $10,000 in cash at the party, which was witnessed by all the guests. That event put the wheels in motion for the burglary plot, witnesses said. Rivera himself testified that some in the group thought they would get between $100,000 and $200,000 to split up. Also charged and awaiting trial are Mitchell, Charles Wardlow, 24, and 22-year-old Timothy Brown. Cheap Air VaporMax Free Shipping . You can watch coverage on TSN, TSN2 and CTV beginning today at 3pm et/Noon pt. The championships will feature approximately 250 of Canadas best figure skaters in senior, junior and novice as they vie for spots on the national team, international assignments and will act as the final step in the 2014 Olympic qualification process. Wholesale Air VaporMax . -- The defending Canadian womens curling champions squandered an opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the standings Tuesday at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. http://www.vapormaxcheap.com/ . Vonn flew back to Vail, Colo., last week after hurting her surgically repaired right knee at a downhill race in France. "Her knee was swollen again after Val dIsere," U.S. womens head coach Alex Hoedlmoser told The Associated Press. Air VaporMax From China . The 26-year-old Sobotka injured his left leg playing for the St. Louis Blues in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Blues said he would not recover from the injury in time for the Olympic tournament. Cheap Air VaporMax Store . Thats how the Ravens won when Ryan was their defensive co-ordinator from 2005-08, and that is precisely the formula Baltimore used to beat Ryans New York Jets on Sunday. Canadas freestyle ski team will have a decidedly different look this season. The likes of Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Dara Howell and Mikael Kingsbury will be there, but there was one glaring absence on the squad unveiled Wednesday. Two-time Olympic moguls gold medallist Alex Bilodeau retired after the last World Cup season, leaving a big hole on the team as it begins the long road to the 2018 Games in South Korea. Bilodeau became the first Canadian to win Olympic gold on home soil with his memorable victory at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, and he repeated the performance in Sochi earlier this year. Kingsbury, who battled Bilodeau for the last few years and finished second in Russia this winter, says he will miss competing against his rival. "The first couple World Cups, Im going to miss somebody to look up to and to learn from. Hes been a great athlete," Kingsbury said on a conference call. "He pushed me. Since I was very young, he was my role model." Kingsbury is a three-time overall World Cup champion, and while he and Bilodeau were friends away from the hill, they were fierce opponents on it. "Im going to miss him in a way, but in another way he was one of the strongest competitors to have," said Kinsbury, a native of Deux Montagnes, Que. "Im going to try to have new motivation, to continue to push and work hard to stay ranked first in the world." Kingsbury, who turns 22 next week, said Bilodeaus retirement doesnt open any doors because hes already had a lot of success in his young career. "He was the star for sure. He won the Olympics in Vancouver -- first (Canadian) gold medallist to win on home soil -- and Sochi," Kingsbury said. "He won the two days that he needed to win, but at the same time I dont think its my turn to shine because I won the Crystal Globe and he was there, I won the world championship and he was there.dddddddddddd "At the Olympics he did his run. I tried everything I could to win but he had the run that he needed and he totally deserved it." Like the rest of the freestyle ski team, Kingsburys focus is primed on training for the coming season, with thoughts of the 2018 Olympics in South Korea also lingering. "I just want to continue what Ive been doing, and not do more because Alex is not there," he said. "If he would have continued I would have been super happy and still would have worked hard to win the gold medal in 2018. Thats my next plan. "Its four years -- four years is long. Im going to be ready for 2018 but theres many things to come." Dufour-Lapointe, who won gold in Sochi in womens moguls, said she will take it one year at a time as she starts to build towards the next Games. "Personally I feel like Im still on a high from the Olympics," said the 20-year-old from Montreal. "What keeps me going is I feel like I can still get better and theres room for improvement." Also headlining the Canadian team for the 2014-15 season is Howell, who topped the podium in womens slopestyle in Sochi, Chloe Dufour-Lapointe -- the silver medallist in moguls behind her younger sister at the Games -- and Kim Lamarre, who finished third in slopestyle. The other Sochi medallist on this years team is Mike Riddle, who took silver in halfpipe. 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