Miami-Dade police announced Friday night that the men face charges in the death of the Washington Redskins football star following a weeklong manhunt that drew the scrutiny of national media.
''We have confessions, but I'm not going to talk about the details of the confessions at this point,'' Miami-Dade Police Director Robert Parker said at a news conference in Doral.
The family of suspect Jason Mitchell, 19, told The Miami Herald that he had attended a party for Taylor's half-sister, Sasha Johnson, at Taylor's Palmetto Bay home. Investigators believe Taylor's relatives may have bragged about his wealth.
Police also arrested Charles Wardlow, 18, a cousin of Johnson's boyfriend. Also cuffed were Eric Rivera, 17, and Venjah Hunte, 20. All face murder charges.
Investigators late Friday were still trying to figure out who shot Taylor.
As is common in such cases, the four gave detectives conflicting statements and blamed one another.
Under Florida law, anyone who commits a felony that leads to a death can be charged with murder.
Parker stressed that the men did not expect Taylor to be home. Police say the burglars escaped into a waiting car.
''They were not targeting the individual. . . . They were certainly not looking to go there and kill anyone,'' Parker said.
MORE ARRESTS?
Miami-Dade homicide detectives and Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents rounded up the four early Friday. They were questioned at FDLE's Fort Myers headquarters.
There may be more suspects, Parker said.
Friday's news conference capped an emotional week that began Monday morning when Taylor, a South Miami-Dade native and former University of Miami star, was shot in the groin in his bedroom. Taylor had heard noises and grabbed a machete as he tried to protect his fiancée, Jackie Garcia, and their 18-month-old girl. The two hid under the covers as Taylor was shot.
One bullet pierced the wall. The other sliced Taylor's femoral artery, causing massive blood loss. He died at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
The arrests countered rampant media speculation that Taylor's past -- an earlier brush with the law and old neighborhood friends -- contributed to his death.
''The truth is that Sean's past didn't lead . . . to what happened. If anything, his generosity and openness led to this crime,'' his former defense attorney, Richard Sharpstein, said Friday night.
Parker said tips from the public helped crack the case. He did not elaborate.
Police said family members have fully cooperated with the investigation.
Miami-Dade homicide detectives were aided by prosecutors Ray Araujo and Reid Rubin, as well as the U.S. Marshal's Office and law enforcement on Florida's west coast.
''I commend the hard work of the Miami-Dade Police Department for their superb investigation of this killing, and I applaud the work of my prosecutors who have been working hand-in-hand with these officers to ensure that justice will be done,'' Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle said.
THE SUSPECTS
Scrutiny will now focus on the young men -- none of whom has an extensive criminal past.
Relatives of Mitchell, 19, said he attended a birthday bash for Sasha Johnson, who dates Christopher Devon Wardlow, 21. His cousin is suspect Charles Wardlow, who plays football for Florida Christian Institute, a school for at-risk youths.
According to Scottie Mitchell, 19, Jason's twin brother, Johnson and Christopher Devon Wardlow invited Jason Mitchell to the party.
He even did work around Taylor's house, Scottie Mitchell said: ``He cut his grass and everything.''
Scottie Mitchell said he believes his brother was home in Lehigh Acres on the night of the murder.
Sasha Johnson turned 21 on Oct. 1. The twins have been friends with Christopher Devon Wardlow for about eight years, Scottie Mitchell said, adding that he does not know Charles Wardlow or Rivera.
Frank Fuller, who identified himself as the grandfather of Charles Wardlow, answered the door at his home in east Fort Myers.
''We don't know anything,'' he told a Miami Herald reporter. ``We don't know where Charles is. We haven't seen him for hours. And even if we did [know], we wouldn't talk to you about it.''
Relatives say Jason Mitchell worked at a Bob Evans restaurant and had gone to a job interview at UPS on Friday morning before being picked up by police.
Jason Mitchell was arrested in October and charged with driving with a suspended license for a third time. He posted his jail booking photo on his Myspace.com profile.
Eric Rivera has been arrested twice. In August, he was arrested in Cape Coral on charges of altering the serial number on a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor. In October, he was charged with trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine.
His Myspace.com profile shows a love of money. Four photos show thick wads of cash -- one photo depicts him lying on a bed covered in money with the caption: ''dis how i sleep after a good day.'' His family declined to talk to a reporter Friday.
Charles Wardlow has been arrested once, in 2005, on charges of selling and distributing marijuana.
Venjah K. Hunte, also known as Jason Taylor, has been arrested once in Florida. Lee County deputies charged him with possession of marijuana with intent to sell it within 200 feet of a school, and trespassing in August of this year.
''They're kids -- and knowing Sean, if they needed money, he probably would have given it to them. They didn't need to break into his home and kill him to get it,'' said Steve Howey, Taylor's former high school football coach at Gulliver Prep.
Investigators were still trying to figure out whether the men were responsible for a break-in on Nov. 18.
In that case, Taylor's home was ransacked and a knife was left on his bed. Burglars tried getting into an air vent. Sasha Johnson, staying off-and-on at the home, reported the burglary.
Miami Herald staff writers Trenton Daniel, Susannah A. Nesmith, Manny Navarro, Susan Miller Degnan, Elinor J. Brecher, Rebecca Dellagloria and Jack Dolan contributed to this report.
