Appellate Court Decision Postpones Williams’ Trial

Jayson Williams’ trial for Feb. 18 was called off Tuesday when an appeals court at Newark, N.J., agreed to consider dismissing manslaughter charges against the former NBA star.

An appellate panel is to hear arguments March 12 in Trenton from his lawyers and the prosecutor’s office. The ruling was filed Tuesday, without elaboration, by two appellate judges.

Williams’ lawyers, Joseph Hayden Jr. and Billy Martin, said they were pleased the court accepted the appeal.

Steven Lember, first assistant prosecutor, said: “We prevailed in the trial court below and every defendant has a right to appeal any trial court decision.”

The prosecutor’s office has said that no errors were serious enough to justify dismissing the indictment.

If the appeals court dismisses the indictment, prosecutors can go back to a new grand jury and present the case again. They may also appeal the case to the state supreme court.

Williams, 35, is accused of recklessly handling the shotgun that killed Costas Christofi, and then trying to make the shooting look self-inflicted. Two other men charged in the case have pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Williams.

He could face nearly 45 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Tennis

Myriam Casanova, a Swiss teenager who practices with Martina Hingis, defeated Barbara Schett, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the Gaz de France WTA event at Paris and will face Serena Williams in the second round of the $585,000 tournament.

Fifth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland and sixth-seeded Silvia Farina Elia of Italy lost their second-round matches.

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Top-seeded Clarisa Fernandez of Argentina was upset in the first round of the Indian Open at Hyderabad, India, losing to Akiko Morigami of Japan, 6-2, 6-4. Third-seeded Elena Likhovtseva of Russia also lost, 6-2, 6-3, to Tzipora Oblizer of Israel.

Baseball

Former National League most valuable player Ken Caminiti was ordered to a state-run drug treatment facility, giving him another chance to avoid jail time for cocaine use. Caminiti tested positive for cocaine use last week, prompting prosecutors to request his probation on a drug conviction be revoked.

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Houston Astro pitcher Carlos Hernandez will sit out the 2003 season after surgery on his left shoulder to repair a tear in his rotator cuff and labrum. Hernandez, 22, is estimated to recover in nine to 11 months.

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Jose Valentin homered and scored three times to lead Puerto Rico’s Mayaguez Indians over the Dominican Republic’s Cibao Eagles, 10-0, in the Caribbean Series at Carolina, Puerto Rico. In an earlier game, Orlando Merced hit a solo home run and Puerto Rico’s Caguas Creoles beat Mexico’s Caneros of Los Mochis, 4-1. With its third consecutive loss, Caneros of Los Mochis was eliminated from title contention.

Miscellany

A man visiting Las Vegas for a business convention died of natural causes while driving at a racing school named for Richard Petty.

Philip Jerome Malarkey’s death at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was attributed to coronary atherosclerosis, a common cause of heart attacks, the coroner’s office said.

After classroom instruction, Malarkey, 58, of Arnold, Md., became unconscious while driving a race car similar to those used in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Brad Mark, the driving school’s general manager, said Malarkey’s death was the first in 13 years at the school.

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Boxer Johnny Tapia will not face drug paraphernalia charges at Kingman, Ariz. Authorities have been unable to prove a drug pipe found at a Golden Valley home belongs to Tapia, Deputy Mohave County Attorney Lee Jantzen said.

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The nominees were announced for the 2003 Eagle One-Shav Glick Award for outstanding contribution to motor racing by a Californian.

They are: Craig Breedlove, former world land-speed record holder; Rick Mears, four-time Indy 500 winner; Chris Pook, founder of Long Beach Grand Prix and current president of CART; Don Prudhomme, drag racing champion as driver and owner; and Les Richter, long-time president of Riverside International Raceway and NASCAR executive.

The winner will be revealed before the Winston Cup race April 27 at California Speedway.

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The Harlem Globetrotters will play three basketball games in Southern California this weekend: Saturday at 2 p.m. at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Arrowhead Pond and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Long Beach Arena.