<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> SOMERVILLE, N.J. -- Former NBA star Jayson Williams was acquitted Friday of aggravated manslaughter, the most serious charge against him, but was convicted of trying to conceal the 2002 shooting death of a limousine driver at Williams' mansion. Williams was convicted on four of the six lesser charges, related to tampering with evidence in the death of Costas "Gus" Christofi, 55, who was killed by a shotgun blast as Williams handled the weapon. Collectively, the charges carry a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison. Charges Jayson Williams faced (max prison sentences and verdict)Aggravated manslaughter (30 years) -- Not guilty Reckless manslaughter (10 years) -- No decision Possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (10 years) -- Not guilty Aggravated assault (18 months) -- Not guilty Hindering apprehension (5 years) -- Guilty Tampering with witnesses (5 years) -- Guilty Tampering with evidence (18 months) -- Guilty <LI>Fabricating physical evidence (18 months) -- Guilty But Williams, 36, would probably receive a sentence of less than five years, the maximum for the most serious count. No date was set for sentencing. The jury said it could not agree on the charge of reckless manslaughter. A scheduling conference to determine a trial date on that charge was set for May 21. The jurors had deliberated for almost 23 hours when Juror No. 5 sent the judge a note shortly after 3 p.m. Its contents were not disclosed. In response, the judge asked the jurors to return to the deliberation room and to send him another note explaining whether they believed it was worthwhile to continue deliberations. The jurors quickly sent a note back saying they could only reach a partial verdict.</div>http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1792869
Let me get this straight. He's convicted of tampering and hiding the evidences/witnesses. But he's found NOT GUILTY of the shooting? So the decision was he didn't kill the man?
Personally I thought he shot the limo driver. But I guess there was not a sufficient amount of evidence to prove otherwise. Its a real shame that this man's life (the limo drivers) will be left unsolved with no suspect when everyone has a good idea of who the killer is. Can you say OJ??
Unsolved? WTF? It wasn't murder in the first, it's manslaughter, meaning that the jury already knew the actors and sequence of events that led to the death. In the Williams case, it was the jury's job to determine whether the defendant acted with criminal negligence; there was nothing "unsolved" here. Williams has admitted that he handled the shotgun in a manner that caused an accident. That said, it looks like he may do some prison time, which is truly unfortunate for him and his family. I hate guns and think that no one should own them; if Williams weren't such a fan of them, he wouldn't have to face prison for his mistakes.
^What I meant was that there is no one that is made accountable for his death. Negligence or not, whoever pulled on that trigger is getting off easy. I feel a lot worse for the Limo drivers family than for William's family. IMO he got off with a slap on the wrist.
Yes, some of u guys aren't clear on the circumstances... Jayson Williams acknowledges that he shot the man...but he claims it was a freak accident. The issue in question is not whether he did it or not, rather it is whether the accident was caused by reckless behavior. For example, if u get into a car accident and the person in the other car dies, you won't be put into jail or face charges for that matter....however, if u were drinking and driving, and the other person dies, then u are liable.... Also, regarding the limo driver's family, from my understanding, they have talked to Williams and have forgiven him (it probably has a lot to do with the huge settlement too). They have expressed that they feel it was a freak accident, and that they do not want Williams to go to jail for it.
But I guess they couldn't prove it...But he was tampering with the evidence and the witness...doesn't that count for something?
It looks like a rather clear case, he shot the man. Whether he was drunk or not shouldn't matter because he still murdered an innocent man. However, if they can prove he was under the influence, the case could turn into another direction. I know i've heard of people killing others in their sleep, and all charges were dropped on them. If he has good lawyers, he'll walk. Plain and simple...and we could be looking at another OJ, which is very wrong.
Why is Jayson Williams being likened to OJ? Jayson Williams admitted that he made a mistake; the contention is whether he acted with criminal negligence, not if he did it or not. The OJ Simpson case, by contrast, involved a defendant that never admitted to any wrongdoing. Talk about a piss-poor analogy.
