A former football player for Florida State and the NFL has been found not guilty after a jury determined that he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed one man and injured another.
Travis Rudolph, 27, was acquitted of one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder by a Palm Beach County jury, as reported by the Palm Beach Post.
The 12-member panel also opted not to convict Rudolph on lesser charges, including second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Rudolph was initially arrested in April 2021 after four men came to his home several hours following a confrontation with his girlfriend, according to investigators.
At one point, Rudolph armed himself with a semi-automatic rifle and fired at them as they drove away, resulting in the death of Sebastien Jean-Jacques and the injury of Tyler Robinson.
Rudolph claimed that the men were armed and shooting back at him during his testimony. However, investigators stated that they never found evidence of the fleeing men returning fire.
Rudolph was the leading receiver for Florida State in 2015 and 2016. He departed the team early to enter the NFL draft in 2017.
He eventually signed with the New York Giants and later with the Miami Dolphins. He also had a stint with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League, but the team released him after his arrest.
In 2016, he garnered national attention for a video of him having lunch with an autistic student during a team visit to a middle school in Tallahassee. The student’s mother, Leah Paske, posted the video, which went viral, mentioning that her “super sweet child” often ate alone.
“I asked if I could sit next to him, and he said ‘Sure, why not?'” Rudolph stated to reporters in 2016. “I just felt like we had a great conversation. He started off and was so open. He told me his name was Bo and how much he loves Florida State, and he went from there.”
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