Former Florida Football Player Travis Rudolph Found Not Guilty in Murder Case

News recently book that former Florida state football player Travis Rudolph had been found not guilty in his murder trial. Travis naturally celebrated the news, which came more than two years after he was first arrested in relation to this case.

Following the news that he had been found not guilty, though, many of course wanted to know what Travis had actually been accused of, and what the circumstances around his arrest were.

Travis was accused of murdering one man and injuring several others during an incident from April 2021. The incident occurred when four men arrived at his house several hours after he got into a physical altercation with his girlfriend. During the encounter, Travis armed himself with a semi-automatic rifle and began firing at the men as they drove away, killing Sebastien Jean-Jacques and wounding Tyler Robinson.

Travis testified that the men were armed and shooting back at him, but investigators were never able to find any evidence that the men in the car had returned fire.

A judge had already denied Travis's request to have the case dismissed under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, but it seems that a jury of his peers was ultimately convinced that Travis was acting in self-defense when he fired at the car. The jury also declined to convict him for lesser charges, including manslaughter.

Dominique was the girlfriend Travis got into a fight with on the night when the shots were fired. The fight occurred after Dominique saw evidence on Travis's phone that he had been unfaithful, and texted her brother asking him to come "shoot up his s--t." Dominique testified that, in spite of those provocative words, she had never intended for her brother to actually hurt Travis.

Dominique, who is no longer dating Travis, also testified that Travis refused to let her leave the house after she discovered his text, and admitted to smashing his PlayStation as the confrontation escalated and eventually spilled out into the front lawn. Dominque is currently working as an estate agent, according to Travis's defense attorney.

Travis was the leading wide receiver for Florida State for two seasons in 2015 and 2016, and he left the school early to enter the draft after that, and was picked up by the NY Giants in 2017. He recorded 101 yards and 0 touchdowns with the team during his first season, and was ultimately waived after that before being picked up by the Miami Dolphins.

Travis also played in the Canadian Football League after a knee injury ended his NFL career. Following the news of the verdict, Travis said that one of the things he is eager to do is return to football, although it remains to be seen whether any teams will be interested in pursuing him, given both his checkered personal history and his lackluster statistics from his time in the league.