Boxing Gold Medalist Faces Murder Charges in Shooting

Former 1984 Olympic boxing gold medalist Henry Tillman--who last year talked about staging a comeback in the ring--faces charges of murder and attempted murder in a shooting outside a Westchester nightclub earlier this year, a district attorney’s spokeswoman said Friday.

The charges were filed late Thursday but not announced until Friday, when Tillman was returned from the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo to face arraignment, which will probably be Monday or Tuesday in Santa Monica Superior Court. The former heavyweight boxer is already serving a 32-month prison term for a conviction on credit card fraud.

The latest charges stem from a Jan. 10 incident, in which police say Tillman killed Kevin Anderson and wounded Terreance Thomas. Although police believe the motive was armed robbery, the murder and attempted murder complaints do not carry special circumstances allegations calling for the death penalty, the spokeswoman said.

If convicted on both counts, the 36-year-old Tillman could face 50 years to life in prison.

The charges mark the downhill slide of a local hero who rose above rough beginnings and a four-year stint in the California Youth Authority to win Olympic gold. Boxing in the Sports Arena, not far from his neighborhood of 89th Street and Central Avenue, he defeated favored Canadian Willie DeWit. He launched a professional career and posted a 25-6 record before retiring in 1992.