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Child sentenced to life meets with attorney

Lionel Tate in a recent prison photo.

Described as 'upbeat' on arrival at prison

OKEECHOBEE, Florida (CNN) -- Lionel Tate, the 14-year-old sentenced to life last week in prison for killing a 6-year-old playmate, was "very up" when he arrived at a juvenile prison here, the administrator said Wednesday.

Tate's attorney, Jim Lewis, who met with the boy Wednesday, described him as "upbeat" and said he is much better off at the Okeechobee Juvenile Offender Corrections Center "than in any adult prison."

Lewis said the boy should not be locked up and said an appeal requesting a new trial had been filed.

Lewis also said he would ask Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for a clemency hearing, probably within a couple of weeks. Bush has indicated he would be receptive to such a request.

AUDIO Judge Joel Lazarus reads the sentence on Friday AIFF or WAV sound  VIDEO Lionel Tate's mother speaks about her son's conviction and her next step Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Wolf Blitzer speaks with the prosecutor and defense attorney about the 14-year-old's sentencing Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Lionel Tate's defense attorneys, Jim Lewis and Richard Rosenbaum, talk about the life sentence Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Florida Assistant State Attorney Ken Padowitz Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Excerpts from the judge's ruling and courtroom reaction Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)  ALSO Life sentence for boy raises troubling questions Other teens serving long sentences for murder  MESSAGE BOARD Juvenile offenders

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Lewis said Tate is likely to be in the juvenile prison for some time before anything happens on the requests for clemency or for a new trial. He said it would be six to 12 months before a hearing is scheduled on the appeal, and he called clemency a "complicated matter."

Curtis Ranum, the administrator of the facility, said Tate "is doing well. He arrived night before last around 7 o'clock. I was kind of impressed with him. He is a typical-appearing 14-year-old young lad. He was very pleasant when we brought him in, very respectful."

Ranum said Tate was separated from the prison population during his first night. He said the 15 other juveniles Tate will be living with in a prison unit had discussed Tate's arrival with prison officials and were prepared to "welcome him."

Tate will undergo a two-week orientation. Part of that, Ranum said, includes a "needs assessment" aimed at helping develop a "performance plan" for him.

Barring any action by an appeals court or by Bush, the Okeechobee facility, a maximum-security prison, will be his home until he is 18. At that point he would be transferred to an adult prison to serve out his life sentence.

His mother will not be allowed to see the boy until after the two-week orientation ends, Ranum said. After that, she will be able to see Tate on weekends.

Ranum said Tate will live in an individual cell in a unit that houses 16 inmates. He will be allowed to mingle with the prison population, the administrator said.

"The treatment Tate can receive here in a juvenile setting is much different than with the Department of Corrections," Ranum said. He said group counselors meet with the boys each day, and Tate also will meet with a psychologist and a psychiatrist.

During a regular day, said Ranum, Tate will be up at 6 a.m. with the other inmates for calisthenics. School follows, along with an afternoon exercise period.

The killing of Tiffany Eunick took place in 1999. Tate was 12 years old at the time. The two had been playing together.

During his trial, Tate and his attorneys maintained the death occurred while he tried wrestling moves on the girl that he had seen on television.

Tate's mother turned down a plea bargain that would have put the boy in juvenile detention for three years followed by house arrest and probation.

After Tate was convicted, the judge in the case imposed the mandatory life prison term.

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