History of the Crime as I Understand It
Lionel Tate was home one day with a younger playmate. His mother, a Florida State highway patrol officer, was sound asleep in her upstairs bedroom. Lionel Tate had apparently been watching pro wrestling for many hours prior to the visit from this little girl. At the time, Lionel was 12 and the girl was 6, which in itself is bizarre.
The defendant grabbed the little girl, hoisted her above his head, and threw her against a wall. Showing no thought to the size difference between him and his victim, he continued this behavior several times over a span of at least 5 minutes.
During all of the screaming which must have been filling the air of the Florida home, the mother of the defendant remained sound asleep.
When Lionel Tate was arrested, a plea bargain was offered several times by the state of Florida. If the defense would agree to a plea of 2nd degree murder, Lionel Tate would receive a 3-year juvenile sentence. The mother, Kathleen Grossett-Tate, and Lionel's lawyer, Jim Lewis, came to a consensus and declined the offer. In response, the state of Florida tried Lionel Tate as an adult.
Jim Lewis put forth a minimal defense, relying on public emotion to play on his side by transforming Lionel Tate into the victim. Lionel Tate was the innocent little boy who was corrupted by professional wrestling and the violence of television. It's all the fault of the big, bad WWF for telling this poor, defenseless, virgin child that senseless violence is acceptable in society.
In addition, the defense attempted to prove that Lionel Tate was merely engaging in amicable horseplay with a playmate. Mrs. Tate is the most adamant supporter of this theory. The following quote displays her opinion:

"People say I am a fool not to accept the plea from the state. But how do you accept a plea for second-degree murder when your child was just playing?" - Kathleen Grossett-Tate, Chicago Tribune, March 10th, 2001

1. A fractured skull
2. A lacerated liver
3. A broken rib
4. Internal hemorrhaging

Lionel Tate was convicted for 1st-degree murder in an adult court of law by an adult jury, and sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Joel T. Lazarus. The faulty, circumstantial, and weak "blame pro wrestling" defense put forth by Jim Lewis failed to convince the sensible jury of a court of law. However, this defense managed to convince the general public. The following quote was stated by Judge Lazarus after sentence was passed:

"Most letters and calls refer to the victim only as an afterthought. In the court of public opinion, Lionel Tate has turned into the victim. Tiffany Eunick will never have a second chance at life, and there are so many who plead for a second chance for the defendant. The acts of Lionel Tate were not the playful acts of a child. The acts of Lionel Tate were not the acts born out of immaturity." - Judge Lazarus, Chicago Tribune, March 10th, 2001

It is a terrible day for this great country when the system our Fathers crafted has turned into a method of removing responsibility from the shoulders of those adults who are sworn to uphold the Constitution. Kathleen Grossett-Tate was a Florida State Highway Patrol Officer; a cop. She had a part in refusing her son's plea bargain, which would have sentenced him to three years in juvenile detention. Instead, she allowed him to be tried as an adult. Ex post facto, she claimed to have "no idea her son could face life behind bars under Florida's mandatory sentencing law."
This woman who upheld the Florida State Law had no idea what the law was? Even a novice can see the inherent logical flaws with her thinking. Those who are less novice might interpret this many different ways, and the readers of this article are certainly welcome to consider all angles. Pure facts have been given up to this point, and will continue to be given. In this reporter's humble opinion, however, it appears that the mother of Lionel Tate refused the plea bargain so she could pass full responsibility off to her son. If he is tried and convicted as an adult, a good portion of the general public opinion will ignore her gross negligence. This article will not.
According to Dan Macallair, who is the Vice President of the Center of Juvenile and Criminal Justice, the blame for this case falls upon the State of Florida. In this direct quote, he waves the accusing finger:

"Shame on the state of Florida. This is something out of medieval times." - Dan Macallair, Chicago Tribune, March 10th, 2001

People from the general public up to the highest offices in justice are pointing fingers right and left. Does no one remember that a little girl will never again go to school with her friends? Tiffany Eunick has been dead for two years. The case was wrapped up on January 25th, 2001, and deliberations have taken until this past weekend to come to pass.
Why did this take so long before guilt was obvious? Perhaps the answer to that is given by the following pieces of information. Again, this article will not throw bias; it will merely present the facts for you to judge.

1. Kathleen Grossett-Tate was an official of the badge, but also one who would protect her son, or at least save face for herself, if necessary.
2. Groups such as Amnesty International and the NAACP are currently attempting to appeal the sentence now that conviction has been passed. It would seem unlikely that these organizations have not been previously involved in this case, since both Tate and Eunick are black.

This reporter is not in league with the KKK, nor is the article pointedly biased against blacks. This reporter also refuses to bow down passively and submit to the NAACP. Guys, you all live in America. You therefore obey the American criminal justice system. If you want to make the rules and push your vision of justice, feel free to leave America and either return to Africa, or make your own country in the unused parts of Canada. Just don't slight the importance of a young child's death for the sake of your own slanted visions.

This paper will continue to support Judge Lazarus, but we are taking an additional slant. We intend to shed light on Mrs. Tate's negligence of the events which transpired in her home. We will not support or combat the sentence of Lionel Tate, but we will push adamantly for the arrest of Mrs. Tate on the charges of criminal negligence. Lionel Tate was not the victim of this murder, but he was a minor, and it is therefore the responsibility of Mrs. Tate to atone for gross neglect at a time when intervention would have saved young Tiffany Eunick's life.

What you can do:
1. Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper
2. Email a newspaper and state your concerns
   The Main Tribune Website
   The New York Times Website
   The Chicago Sun Times Website
   The Miama Herald Website
   The Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel Website
   Note: This site may be the best connection to the crime, since it occurred and was tried in that city.
3. Please contact Judge Lazarus and show your support of his decision. Contact Info (will change as found):
   Phone #: (954)-831-5842