[angelize56]

Being in the sport's world must have its benefits I guess! OJ wasn't guilty....now Jason isn't.....let me guess....Kobe is the next to be found not guilty! I don't understand why Jayson didn't just call the police right away instead of trying to make it look as if his victim shot himself. Take care! angel

Williams not guilty of manslaughter
Ex-NBA all-star guilty on 4 lesser charges in driver's death
Friday, April 30, 2004 Posted: 6:36 PM EDT (2236 GMT)

SOMERVILLE, New Jersey (CNN) -- A jury found former NBA all-star Jayson Williams not guilty Friday on charges of aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault.

Williams was convicted of hindering apprehension, tampering with witnesses, tampering with evidence and fabricating physical evidence.

Jurors could not agree on a charge of reckless manslaughter.

Williams' attorneys said they will appeal the guilty verdicts.

Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman set a date of May 21 to discuss possible trial dates for the unsettled charge.

Prosecutor Steven Lember said his office hadn't decided whether to retry Williams.

CNN analyst Kendall Coffey said, "It becomes a difficult question whether they can justify proceeding on a reckless manslaughter count when they've presented all the evidence.

"It was a hard-fought trial," he added.

Williams, 36, was charged in the fatal shooting of Costas "Gus" Christofi in February 2002.

Christofi, 55, had been hired to drive the former New Jersey Nets star and several friends to dinner after a sporting event in Pennsylvania. Prosecutors contend Williams was recklessly handling a 12-gauge shotgun in his home when it discharged, and that he and two others tried to make it look as if Christofi had shot himself.

To prove aggravated manslaughter, prosecutors had to show that Williams demonstrated an "extreme indifference" to the value of human life.

One juror said the jury was split on the reckless manslaughter charge, with eight supporting acquittal and four supporting a guilty verdict.

In explaining their stance, juror Chalisha Martin said the jurors couldn't agree on whether the death was an accident.

"I believe it was an accident," she said. "I believe it was negligence, not recklessness."

No sentencing date was scheduled. The charges collectively carry a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison, according to The Associated Press. He could have faced 30 years behind bars if convicted of aggravated manslaughter.

Williams, 35, turned and kissed his wife, Tanya, after the verdicts. As the verdicts were being read, the judge admonished people in the courtroom who expressed displeasure at the not guilty verdicts.

The jury began deliberating Tuesday. The prosecution and defense presented 43 witnesses during the 12-week trial.

On April 5, the judge suspended the trial so Williams' attorneys could evaluate evidence that should have been handed over to them by prosecutors before the trial started, according to the AP. Defense attorneys had rested just before the additional evidence surfaced but were allowed to reopen their case.

On April 13, the trial was further delayed when a sister-in-law of one of the assistant prosecutors died.

Williams' defense team scored a legal victory last week when the judge tossed out key testimony from a prosecution gun expert.

[combsdon]

[quote=angelize56]Being in the sport's world must have its benefits I guess! OJ wasn't guilty....now Jason isn't.....let me guess....Kobe is the next to be found not guilty! I don't understand why Jayson didn't just call the police right away instead of trying to make it look as if his victim shot himself. Take care! angel


...ya sometimes the system sucks.......kinda like elections......but we gotta live with the results....don't we.......

[Wino]

In the grand scheme of things, this, Kobe, M. Jackson, O.J. are nothing more than a hiccup - a justice system that the rich can afford - and of no significant importance to the world - does anyone really give a flying flip about these people?

[angelize56]

Well Michael Jackson isn't a sports star....but since he only wears one glove....and OJ only wore one glove.....well maybe he'll get off too!

[philip1519]

I have one comment. It seems that prosecuters sometimes go after people with such zeal that they set themselves up for failure. I have served on juries and I believe that jurors do their best to follow the law as it is explained to them during the course of the trial. It is quite possible that Williams is not guilty of aggravated manslaughter. I don't know if there is any other type but, if there is, I blame the prosecuter. Williams was screwing around and killed someone, no one disputes that, not even Williams. So he only had to prove that he was not guilty of the crime for which he was accused. This leads me to a thought that I have never considered. What if the deal were made earlier? Where it is suggested that someone who commits an accidental crime is accused of commiting a premeditated crime for which he should not be found guilty. Hmm...

[angelize56]

Jayson is going to be retried! At first I thought it said retired!

Williams to face retrial on reckless manslaughter charge
Friday, May 21, 2004 Posted: 5:13 PM EDT (2113 GMT)

(CNN) -- Prosecutors in Somerville, New Jersey, announced Friday they will retry former NBA all-star Jayson Williams on a charge of reckless manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a limousine driver.

The announcement came less than a month after a jury delivered a mixed verdict in Williams' trial.

The judge set a tentative trial date for January 10, 2005.

On April 30, a jury acquitted Williams on charges of aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault in the incident, but said it was not able to reach a verdict on the reckless manslaughter charge.

The reckless manslaughter charge carries up to 10 years in prison.

The former NBA All-Star was convicted on four lesser counts stemming from a failed effort to conceal the shotgun shooting of Costas "Gus" Christofi. Williams could be sentenced to probation or up to 13 years in prison on those charges.

Williams' attorneys have said they will appeal the guilty verdicts.

Williams, 36, has remained free on bail. Because of the possibility of retrial, state Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman set no sentencing date on the four convictions, including witness and evidence tampering, The Associated Press reported.

Christofi, 55, was fatally shot on February 14, 2002, at Williams' mansion in Alexandria Township, New Jersey. The driver was among a group of friends and Harlem Globetrotters touring Williams' mansion in the early hours of the date of the driver's death.

According to an AP report, Christofi had driven some of the players from their hotel to a late dinner at a restaurant with Williams and his friends, and then took some of them to the estate.

Testimony in the 12-week trial showed that Williams took a loaded shotgun from a cabinet in his bedroom, cracked it open, turned, uttered an obscenity at Christofi and snapped the weapon closed. It fired once, sending 12 pellets into Christofi's chest. He died within minutes.

Williams' defense maintained the shooting was an accident, and that the weapon misfired.

Several witnesses testified that Williams then wiped down the shotgun and placed it in the victim's hands, according to an AP report.

The house guests also testified that Williams persuaded them to tell authorities that they were downstairs at the time of the shooting, and that Christofi shot himself, the AP reported.

Defense lawyers asserted that Williams was so distraught afterward he could not organize a cover-up.

One juror said the jury was split 8-4 on the reckless manslaughter charge, with eight supporting acquittal.

In explaining the split, juror Chalisha Martin said the jurors couldn't agree on whether the death was an accident.

"I believe it was an accident. I believe it was negligence, not recklessness," she said.

The judge said it would be difficult to find an impartial and "fair-minded" jury if Williams had already been sentenced on the lesser charges.

The prosecution has asked for a change of venue. The judge said he would consider the motion when it is filed.

Williams retired from the New Jersey Nets in 2000 due to leg injuries.

[angelize56]

Thank goodness Shaq definitely had nothing to do with this! Does bad luck follow sports stars or something!

Fatal stabbing at home owned by Shaquille O'Neal
Lakers star in Minneapolis at time
Friday, May 21, 2004 Posted: 8:34 PM EDT (0034 GMT)

SUGAR LAND, Texas (AP) -- A housekeeper was stabbed to death Friday while cleaning a home in a Houston suburb owned by NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, police said. The woman's 18-year-old son was later charged with murder.

Investigators allege Tristan Williams stabbed his mother several times with kitchen knives after the two began fighting, authorities said. The two had been cleaning the home located in the Sweetwater subdivision.

Alice Williams, 37, was taken to a hospital where she later died.

Arnetta Yardbourgh, who lives at the home, witnessed the stabbing and called authorities, police spokeswoman Pat Whitty said. The victim's son was taken into custody a few blocks away.

O'Neal was in Minneapolis Friday night, where the Los Angeles Lakers were up against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals.

Yardbourgh and O'Neal have a 7-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. The Lakers center also has three children with his wife, Shaunie.

[Fidelista]

The best justice.......money can buy. Not nice , could probably use reform, but works sometimes.

[slickoe]

At the risk of being labeled a racist (I am not much of one) I cannot understand why sports stars are worshipped like they are. Being good at tossing a ball does not impress me one bit. That is why pro sports is filled with millionaire semiliterate felons. Yes felons. We only know about the ones who are being brought up on charges. These people have been getting special treatment since they were playing high school sports and now they have this aura of invincibility. They just play their meaningless games and hire people to do everything for them that they don't know how to do (which is most everything else). I don't admire sports "stars", because being good at playing a GAME for a living for part of the year does not mean you have character. It means you were born with certain physical attributes and at least recognized this fact enough to realize it as a meal ticket and stick with it.

[Ciberblade]

Slickoe ~ although I agree with you for the most part, it does take personal dedication, commitment and hard work to be good at any sport (in addition to talent).

Originally Posted by slickoe

At the risk of being labeled a racist (I am not much of one)

I for one did not see anything racist there...but much of one? This line made me chuckle.

[slickoe]

Originally Posted by ciberblade

I for one did not see anything racist there...but much of one? This line made me chuckle.

Well let's be perfectly blunt. We are all racist to a certain extent. Anyone who says otherwise is either in denial or is a lying. Tribalism is a part of human nature that is undeniable. When I see (always by accident) a pro NBA or NFL player being interviewed in a locker room and listen to his speech patterns, I wonder (A. Who took his tests in college for him) and (B. There goes another scholarship that should have gone to an engineering or medical student so the USA wouldn't have to import so many techies or worry about falling behind the rest of the world.) We may have the best people in the world at tossing balls around but we can't fill freighters full of them and sell them around the world.