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Man convicted in shooting of paralyzed Jags OL

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Updated Nov 5, 2009 7:50 PM ET
     
 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)

A jury convicted a man Thursday of attempted murder in the shooting of former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Richard Collier in 2008. The six-person jury deliberated two hours and 45 minutes before returning its verdict against Tyrone Hartsfield, 33, at the end of a nine-day trial. Hartsfield faces up to life in prison. He still faces a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, but it's not clear if prosecutors will pursue it. Collier watched much of the closing arguments while seated in his wheelchair in the courtroom gallery. He was shot six times as he waited in his car outside a Jacksonville apartment building. Collier was paralyzed from the waist down and his left leg was amputated. "Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008, is a day that Richard Collier will never forget. How could he? He's got a constant reminder every time he tries to move," Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda, told the jury during closing arguments as Collier watched from his wheel chair in the second row. He left for the defense's closing statement but returned during the prosecution's closing argument rebuttal. It was his first appearance at the trial since he testified on the opening day. Both he and his teammate, Kenny Pettway, testified they did not see anything when a gunman fired six shots into Collier's Escalade. "He was 26 years old, when he was brutally gunned down," de la Rionda said. "He lost everything that he dreamed and struggled to accomplish. Mr. Collier will no longer be able to make a living as a football player." Hartsfield had the motive and opportunity to shoot Collier, de la Rionda said. Hartsfield was seeking revenge after he was knocked out in a fight with Collier in April at a night club. The prosecutor said Hartsfield followed Collier's car from a club and then sneaked up and shot him. "He had to take the cowardly way out. He had to get him from behind. He couldn't even look in the face when he shot him. It was payback and revenge." Ann Finnell, one of Hartsfield's attorneys, questioned the prosecution's case. "The quality of the state's evidence in this case is unbelievable and I would say pathetic," she said. Finnell pointed out the problems with statements made by Stephfan Wilson, a convicted bank robber, who testified he rode with Hartsfield to the shooting scene and then heard multiple gunshots. "The state has utterly failed in their task of proving their case beyond a reasonable doubt," she told jurors. Hartsfield took the stand in his own defense Wednesday and denied any involvement in the shooting. Hartsfield testified he has six felony convictions and he has served at least two terms in Florida prisons. Collier grew up in Shreveport, La., and attended Tyler Junior College in Texas, where a counselor steered him toward the football office. Collier transferred to Division II Valdosta State in Georgia and won a national championship. The Jaguars invited him to camp and he beat out several veterans to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
Tagged: Jaguars

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