Williams’ Lawyers Ask for Dismissal
Lawyers for Jayson Williams asked a New Jersey judge in court to dismiss the manslaughter case against the former NBA All-Star, saying that withholding of evidence by prosecutors precluded a fair trial.
Defense attorney Joseph Hayden Jr. asked Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman in Somerville to throw out the charges and prohibit prosecutors from retrying Williams, a former New Jersey Net.
Coleman said he would rule today on the defense request.
Williams, 36, is accused of recklessly handling a shotgun while giving a tour of his home in 2002, causing it to discharge and kill chauffeur Costas “Gus” Christofi. He also is charged with trying to make the shooting look as if it were a suicide.
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Former NBA player Vernon Maxwell was being held in Gainesville, Fla., on a felony charge for failing to pay about $160,000 in child support.... Former NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp signed to play for the USBL’s Oklahoma Storm, a team he partly owns.... The Atlanta Hawks apologized for playing a song that contained obscenities and other graphic language. The song, “Party Up” by rapper DMX, was played over the public-address system during a timeout in the second quarter of Saturday’s game against Boston.
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