Murder in Palm Beach County: Former football standout Travis Rudolph next to face jurors
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WEST PALM BEACH — Jurors will soon decide whether former Florida State University football player Travis Rudolph feared for his life when he shot to death a man prosecutors say was fleeing from him.
Rudolph told investigators he believed he had no choice but to shoot Sebastien Jean-Jacques, who appeared at his doorstep in Lake Park on April 7, 2021, with three other men to confront Rudolph about allegedly mistreating his girlfriend.
The dispute turned violent, Rudolph said, and he grabbed a semi-automatic rifle. Prosecutors said the men had already begun to flee by the time Rudolph fired 39 rounds in their direction.
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The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and the State Attorney's Office charged Rudolph with first-degree murder. Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen rejected Rudolph's request to dismiss the case under Florida's "stand your ground" law, which permits the use of deadly force to protect against imminent danger, last year.
Additional evidence, made available on the eve of trial delayed its start date to May 19 from Feb. 24.
Rudolph, now 27, faces one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.
His trial before Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen began with the start of jury selection Thursday. Opening arguments are scheduled to take place Monday.
Rudolph is a former standout receiver at Cardinal Newman High School and FSU. After college, Rudolph played briefly in the NFL for the New York Giants in 2017 and was a member of the Miami Dolphins' practice squad for a portion of the 2018 season. He later signed to play in the Canadian Football League, but was eventually released.
Days before the NFL Draft in 2017, Rudolph's father was shot to death while working at a West Palm Beach strip club. Paul Senat from Lantana was convicted of culpable negligence in connection with the shooting death. Senat was moving an AK-47-style rifle when it discharged, killing 55-year-old Darryl Rudolph, who was in an adjacent room, police said.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Murder trial for FSU football star Travis Rudolph to begin
