Former Net Jayson Williams Arrested After Nightclub Fight

[duncan228]

Former Net Jayson Williams arrested after nightclub fight (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/05/25/williams.ap/index.html)

Former NBA star Jayson Williams was arrested early Monday after authorities say he punched someone in the face outside a Raleigh nightclub, the latest legal tribulation for the all-star who has spent years in the courtroom since an injury ended his basketball career.

Some type of dispute led Williams, 41, to hit the other person shortly before 2 a.m., Raleigh police said. Williams was charged with one count of simple assault and released on $1,000 bond.

'He was very co-operative during the investigation and very co-operative during the arrest,' said Capt. T.L. Earnhardt of the Raleigh Police Department.

Joseph Hayden, a lawyer for Williams, did not immediately return a telephone message.

Williams played nine seasons in the NBA for the New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers before retiring in 2000. He's facing a re-trial on a charge of reckless manslaughter in the 2002 shooting death of his driver, Costas (Gus) Christofi, at his mansion in Alexandria Township, N.J. According to testimony, Williams was showing visitors a 12-gauge shotgun when it went off and hit Christofi in the chest.

Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter, but the jury deadlocked on a reckless manslaughter count. A re-trial is pending, and he has been free on bail since the shooting. He has apologized to Christofi's relatives and given them $2.5 million to settle a civil suit.

[baseline bum]

Fuck that asshole. $2.5 million for a human life? I hope he gets a couple of years for killing his driver and then trying to make it look like a suicide.

[Armando]

This guy is a complete trainwreck. The Judge would have helped him more by sentencing him after his conviction. I don't know whay he gave him bail pending retrial. Putting him in prison would have avoided all this.

[Indazone]

Did this guy grow up in the hood or something? He sounds like Eminem but as a basketball has-been.

[Bukefal]

sick man :nope

[Spursfan092120]

Is anyone actually surprised by this?

[Bukefal]

He has done alot wrong ever since he ended his career..

[Galileo]

Fuck that asshole. $2.5 million for a human life? I hope he gets a couple of years for killing his driver and then trying to make it look like a suicide.

It was an accident.

[Galileo]

This guy is a complete trainwreck. The Judge would have helped him more by sentencing him after his conviction. I don't know whay he gave him bail pending retrial. Putting him in prison would have avoided all this.

Wrong. He is a marked man. Some drunk jackass probably started taunting him. He has a right to go out, you know. He is presumed innocent. Don't be duped by the mass media and police-industrial complex.

[Galileo]

He has done alot wrong ever since he ended his career..

bullshit, he was involved in one accident. He was a respectable sports announcer, and now the police have ruined his life. WAKE UP!!

[Galileo]

Is anyone actually surprised by this?

dude, this guy, Jayson Williams, HAS NEVER BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME. He has already been falsely accused of one crime. Now he is looking at double-jeopardy. This guy has ZERO criminal intent. You have to have criminal intent to be a criminal, he has none. Zippo. He is being smeared by the mass media. They are trying to poison the jury in our rigged system!

[Galileo]

Did this guy grow up in the hood or something? He sounds like Eminem but as a basketball has-been.

Look, a few people were playing with a gun, it went off. So its all Jayson Williams fault, eh? That's BS!!! The guy who got put himself in harms way, his family has been compensated $2.5 million. Give Jayson a break, he is a good man!

[Galileo]

sick man :nope

Fuck you. You have no idea what happened. Some drunk could have been calling him a ###### at the bar. Or maybe Jayson never hit him at all. Or maybe Jayson threw up his hands in self defense, you don't know. Only an idiot would jump to conclusions based on this article. What do you think Jayson did, went out and picked a fight? I doubt it. Stop being part of the sheeple, and start being part of the people!!!!

[TimDunkem]

Waving a loaded gun around was pretty stupid though.

[Galileo]

Waving a loaded gun around was pretty stupid though.

In his own home? Was he "waving it" or "showing it"?

The cops use words to manipulate your thoughts. Don't be fooled!

[TimDunkem]

I'm ask cynical as you, but any responsible gun owner would never point a loaded gun in the direction of anyone. It doesn't matter where he is.

[Galileo]

I'm ask cynical as you, but any responsible gun owner would never point a loaded gun in the direction of anyone. It doesn't matter where he is.

How do you know he pointed it at anyone? What's your evidence??

[Galileo]

N.J. Supreme Court to hear arguments on racial slur in Jayson Williams retrial

by Jennifer Golson/The Star-Ledger
Friday January 09, 2009, 5:30 PM

The state Supreme Court next month will hear oral arguments over whether information about a racial slur an officer used to describe Jayson Williams should become part of the former New Jersey Net's pending retrial for reckless manslaughter.

The court has tentatively scheduled the matter for Feb. 3, said Tammy Kendig, a spokeswoman for the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office insists the information should remain sealed.

The incident occurred in 2002, when the investigator used the slur to describe the former basketball player during a meeting within the prosecutor's office after Williams was named in the death of Costas "Gus" Christofi, 55.

Assistant Prosecutor Bennett Barlyn has said the man no longer works for the office, was not an integral part of the investigation and did not testify in the first trial in 2004. He also will not be called as a witness in the next.

Williams' attorney Joseph Hayden Jr. said the defense has no way of knowing what impact the officer's comments had on others or the investigation and trial.

Williams is accused of recklessly handling a shotgun that fired and fatally struck Christofi, a limousine driver, at Williams' former estate in Alexandria Township Feb. 14, 2002. During the 2004 trial, the jury cleared him of the most serious charges, but found him guilty of trying to cover up the shooting. They could not agree on reckless manslaughter.

http://www.nj.com/hunterdon/index.ssf/2009/01/nj_supreme_court_to_hear_argum.html

Do you see what is going on here? The cops/prosecution/government is trying to hide evidence from the jury!

Most defendants get railroaded with tactics like this. Jayson thankfully has some money to defend himself, but is probably already been bled dry. Plus he lost his TV broadcasting job.

It has been SEVEN YEARS since this happened!! What the hell kind of court system takes 7 years to settle this shit? That is 10% of the life expectancy of the average person!!!

[Galileo]

Former N.J. Net Jayson Williams is hospitalized after being Tasered by N.Y.C. police

by Jennifer Golson/The Star-Ledger
Monday April 27, 2009, 2:00 PM

Former New Jersey Net Jayson Williams was removed from a Manhattan hotel and transported to a city hospital after police received reports of an "emotionally disturbed person," authorities said.

Police responded to the hotel on North End Avenue at about 4 a.m. and found Williams intoxicated and agitated in the room, said a New York City police spokeswoman. Police said they stunned Williams with a Taser and handcuffed him. Williams, 41, was transported to St. Vincent's Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

Longtime friend Akhtar Farzaie said he last spoke to Williams last night, and he seemed fine. The former basketball star was in town to see his children, Farzaie said.

But then Farzaie said he got the call this morning that the father of two was in the hospital. "My first reaction as a friend was to get in the car and head out and be by his side," Farzaie said .

"Last I spoke to Jay, Jay was completely fine. There was nothing that would make me ... call the police or any authority," he said.

Police said there were empty bottles of prescription pills were strewn around the hotel room.

Williams is awaiting trial for reckless manslaughter for the 2002 shooting death of limousine driver Costas "Gus" Christofi, 55, at his former estate in Alexandria Township.

At the same time, he is fighting a battle in Manhattan Supreme Court, where his wife Tanya Williams has filed for divorce. She accused Williams of psychological abuse, faking his suicide and falsely claiming to have cancer, according to her attorney Malcolm Taub.

Williams' attorney Christopher Adams has denied those allegations, insisting that Tanya Williams had been threatening for months to make up false stories unless he submitted to outrageous demands.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/former_new_jersey_net_jayson_w.html

Does anyone else here see what the cops and the government have done to this man? They are breaking him down. Now his wife has filed for divorce. The money is probably all gone. This is total bullshit what the system does to you! And he hasn't been convicted of any real charges. This is what happens to the innocent people, God foraske what happens to the guilty or those who can't defend themself. WAKE UP!!

[Galileo]

Here's another one (wonder if the jury gets to hear about it?):

Prosecutor ousted from Jayson Williams case to claim whistleblower retaliation

by Ralph R. Ortega/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday January 08, 2008, 6:23 PM

The former lead prosecutor preparing to retry former New Jersey Net Jayson Williams is preparing a whistleblower complaint against the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office after being asked to leave her job last week, her lawyer said today.

Hunterdon County Assistant Prosecutor Katharine Errickson, 38, was asked to leave her post and given the option to resign, said the attorney, Nancy Erika Smith. Errickson, who is also five months pregnant, was so shocked when she was told to leave the prosecutor's office on Friday, she had to be hospitalized, Smith said.

"She's under a doctor's care today," Smith said. "She's still not well."

Errickson declined to comment today. Smith, speaking on Errickson's behalf, said her client would not resign, even though the office was treating her as if her employment had ended.

Prosecutor J. Patrick Barnes declined to comment.

Smith said she was preparing a complaint against Barnes and his office that will include charges of discrimination and retaliation. Errickson had been a whistleblower in the office, according to Smith, who declined to disclose details.

Errickson's departure leaves the Williams case without a lead prosecutor for the second time, after former First Assistant Prosecutor Steven Lember resigned in July. Lember left the job saying he had significant differences with his boss over the way the office was being run.

Williams is awaiting retrial in the 2002 shooting death of his limousine driver, Costas "Gus" Christofi.

Read more in Wednesday's Star-Ledger.
Previous Star-Ledger coverage:
-Jayson Williams retrial on hold as state appeals racial slur ruling
-Defense reviews racial slur documents in Jayson Williams case
-Slur allegation surfaces in Jayson Williams case
-The Jayson Williams trial
See more in Crime/Courts, Editors' Picks, Hunterdon County, News, Sports
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COMMENTS (2)

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/01/prosecutor_ousted_from_jayson.html

[TimDunkem]

How do you know he pointed it at anyone? What's your evidence??

How about a man died of shotgun wounds to the chest? Did the shotgun pellets change direction? It's called reckless manslaughter for a reason. I'm not condemning Williams to prison, but there is still a man dead because of William's actions. Are you claiming Williams wasn't the one who held the gun when it discharged?

[Galileo]

How about a man died of shotgun wounds to the chest? Did the shotgun pellets change direction? It's called reckless manslaughter for a reason. I'm not condemning Williams to prison, but there is still a man dead because of William's actions. Are you claiming Williams wasn't the one who held the gun when it discharged?

Ever heard of assuming the risk? I would not go over to someone house who left loaded guns laying around.

From what I understand, the gun was laying flat and when Jayson picked it up and tried to get his hand on it, it went off. This is totally an accident.

This is no different than a big man in the low post mishandling a pass, the pass needs to be looked at for fault, not just the big man.

This case happened 7 years ago. If he was actually guilty of anything substantial, it would have happened by now.

The fact is, Williams had no criminal intent, and this case should have been in the civil courts. You forgot that Williams gave the man's family $2.5 million dollars.

[TimDunkem]

Ever heard of assuming the risk? I would not go over to someone house who left loaded guns laying around.
How do you know that Christofi knew that? He was just a driver. Where is your evidence?


From what I understand, the gun was laying flat and when Jayson picked it up and tried to get his hand on it, it went off. This is totally an accident.
Where is your evidence? Whether or not he picked it up when it went off, or had it in his hands, doesn't change the fact that is was a loaded weapon. All I said was that Williams made a stupid mistake. Showing off a loaded weapon.


The fact is, Williams had no criminal intent, and this case should have been in the civil courts. You forgot that Williams gave the man's family $2.5 million dollars.
I forgot nothing, and I JUST said I'm not condemning Williams. What exactly are you trying to debate with me?

[baseline bum]

bullshit, he was involved in one accident. He was a respectable sports announcer, and now the police have ruined his life. WAKE UP!!

No, he ruined Gus Christofi's life. I hate morons who don't show respect to their firearms. Idiots like Jayson Williams are why it's so easy for people to come and clamor for our second amendment rights to be taken away. A gun's not a fucking toy or something you leave sitting around where it can be easily involved in an accident.

[Galileo]

No, he ruined Gus Christofi's life. I hate morons who don't show respect to their firearms. Idiots like Jayson Williams are why it's so easy for people to come and clamor for our second amendment rights to be taken away. A gun's not a fucking toy or something you leave sitting around where it can be easily involved in an accident.

Wrong, Jayson didn't do it, the gun did it. The gun should be impounded, locked up, imprisoned, melted down, then stomped on.

[Bukefal]

Fuck you. You have no idea what happened. Some drunk could have been calling him a ###### at the bar. Or maybe Jayson never hit him at all. Or maybe Jayson threw up his hands in self defense, you don't know. Only an idiot would jump to conclusions based on this article. What do you think Jayson did, went out and picked a fight? I doubt it. Stop being part of the sheeple, and start being part of the people!!!!

Ok.... did my words touched a sensitive part of you? :) is he your idol ? Anyway, this is not his first time where he went wrong. I cant help it :downspin:

[Bukefal]

No, he ruined Gus Christofi's life. I hate morons who don't show respect to their firearms. Idiots like Jayson Williams are why it's so easy for people to come and clamor for our second amendment rights to be taken away. A gun's not a fucking toy or something you leave sitting around where it can be easily involved in an accident.

Exactly

[Galileo]

How do you know that Christofi knew that? He was just a driver. Where is your evidence?

Where is your evidence? Whether or not he picked it up when it went off, or had it in his hands, doesn't change the fact that is was a loaded weapon. All I said was that Williams made a stupid mistake. Showing off a loaded weapon.


I forgot nothing, and I JUST said I'm not condemning Williams. What exactly are you trying to debate with me?

Williams already had a trial. He was not found guilty of anything serious.

He was convicted of supposedly "covering up a crime". But what crime is that? The justice system is a joke.

Millions of people show off things they own, including guns.

[baseline bum]

Wrong, Jayson didn't do it, the gun did it. The gun should be impounded, locked up, imprisoned, melted down, then stomped on.

Are you fucking retarded? Williams is at fault for this man's death, and then he and friends tried to cover it up. You don't fucking point a gun in the direction of anybody unless it's someone you're trying to kill. Anyone who shoots knows you always keep a loaded weapon pointed down or pointed up and away from anybody when you're not firing it.

Son of a bitch tried to wipe his prints off the shotgun and make it look like a suicide. Fuck that asshole. If you're going to have weapons, treat them with proper respect and don't act like a fucking child. Handling a firearm is serious shit.

[TimDunkem]

Williams already had a trial. He was not found guilty of anything serious.
I know. He was acquitted. His trial of reckless manslaughter on the other hand, is on hold.


He was convicted of supposedly "covering up a crime". But what crime is that? The justice system is a joke. He allegedly tried to clean up the blood, or move the body. I forgot which, but everyone knows you don't tamper with evidence. Especially when the evidence is a dead man on your floor.


Millions of people show off things they own, including guns.I happen to know a few. However, they don't show it off when it's loaded. :wakeup

[TimDunkem]

Are you fucking retarded? Williams is at fault for this man's death, and then he and friends tried to cover it up. You don't fucking point a gun in the direction of anybody unless it's someone you're trying to kill. Anyone who shoots knows you always keep a loaded weapon pointed down or pointed up and away from anybody when you're not firing it.
If you're going to have weapons, treat them with proper respect and don't act like a fucking child. Handling a firearm is serious shit.

Exactly. It's a simple concept really, but some people can't handle the responsibility. I totally agree with your observation on how this exact situation could be used as an argument against second amendment rights.

[Galileo]

Are you fucking retarded? Williams is at fault for this man's death, and then he and friends tried to cover it up. You don't fucking point a gun in the direction of anybody unless it's someone you're trying to kill. Anyone who shoots knows you always keep a loaded weapon pointed down or pointed up and away from anybody when you're not firing it.

Son of a bitch tried to wipe his prints off the shotgun and make it look like a suicide. Fuck that asshole. If you're going to have weapons, treat them with proper respect and don't act like a fucking child. Handling a firearm is serious shit.

Wrong. The legal system is at fault. If the legal system was just, people would call the police after accidents and tell them what happened.

But Jayson, like many who have awaken from a dark sleep, knows the consequences of calling the police and telling them the truth. Jayson was only protecting himself. You believe the right of self-defense, don't you?

I'm in favor of putting the legal system on trial.

Jayson is NOT at fault. It was an accident, and he had no criminal intent. When you enter a room with guns in it, you know that it possible that an accident can occur and you are assuming the risk. Outside of an intentional action, you can always fall victim to an accident. Jayson could have been shot, you know.

[Borosai]

What are you going on about? I don't know the details of this case, but I do know the event didn't take place at the Beast's castle, where the gun could've floated around freely, firing off rounds for fun while dancing and singing. Manslaughter is a crime.

manslaughter /ˈmænˌslɔː.təʳ/ US /-ˌslɑː.ţɚ/
noun [U] LEGAL
the crime of killing a person by someone who did not intend to do it or who cannot be responsible for their actions

[Galileo]

Exactly. It's a simple concept really, but some people can't handle the responsibility. I totally agree with your observation on how this exact situation could be used as an argument against second amendment rights.

Are you serious?

So a few people make a mistake with a firearm and they are going to strip us of the 2nd amendment? If you think that, you are fighting the wrong enemy.

The real enemy is the mass media. If the Williams nightclub case happened a 100 years ago, it would not be in the newspaper and no charges would be filed. The dude probably deserved it.

The Williams shooting case would have been a minor sideshow, ruled an accident.

It is only in modern Amerikkka, with the mass media enforcers (police) and the mass media, spewing propaganda and breaking up families, that people think this shit is important!

[Armando]

Wrong. The legal system is at fault. If the legal system was just, people would call the police after accidents and tell them what happened.

But Jayson, like many who have awaken from a dark sleep, knows the consequences of calling the police and telling them the truth. Jayson was only protecting himself. You believe the right of self-defense, don't you?

I'm in favor of putting the legal system on trial.

Jayson is NOT at fault. It was an accident, and he had no criminal intent. When you enter a room with guns in it, you know that it possible that an accident can occur and you are assuming the risk. Outside of an intentional action, you can always fall victim to an accident. Jayson could have been shot, you know.



I am not going to judge Jayson Williams we have all made mistakes but I think is time he owe up to them. Do you time and put this ugly mess behind you. When you come out the slate will be clean so to speak. On another note can we please let Vick get on with his life? I know what he did was horrible but how many times is he going to pay for it? He did his time let him resume his football career if a team wants him. Shame on PETA for be no better then a bunch of extreme nutjobs. For crying out loud you have wifebeaters and guys playing in the NFL who have killed people while driving drunk.

[Galileo]

What are you going on about? I don't know the details of this case, but I do know the event didn't take place at the Beast's castle, where the gun could've floated around freely, firing off rounds for fun while dancing and singing. Manslaughter is a crime.

manslaughter /ˈmænˌslɔː.təʳ/ US /-ˌslɑː.ţɚ/
noun [U] LEGAL
the crime of killing a person by someone who did not intend to do it or who cannot be responsible for their actions

"manslaughter" is a legal fiction.

[Spursfan092120]

I am not going to judge Jayson Williams we have all made mistakes but I think is time he owe up to them. Do you time and put this ugly mess behind you. When you come out the slate will be clean so to speak. On another note can we please let Vick get on with his life? I know what he did was horrible but how many times is he going to pay for it? He did his time let he resume his football career if a team wants him. Shame on PETA for be no better then a bunch of extreme nutjobs. For crying out loud you have wifebeaters and guys playing in the NFL who have killed people while driving drunk.
Thank you..I've tried to say this many times in here...most people agree..but the problem with PETA is, they believe animals should have more rights than people...

[Armando]

Thank you..I've tried to say this many times in here...most people agree..but the problem with PETA is, they believe animals should have more rights than people...



I know the way PETA acts you think he belongs in Gitmo.

[Spursfan092120]

I know the way PETA acts you think he belongs in Gitmo.
It's ridiculous. They don't protest murderers...they protest people putting makeup on animals.

[baseline bum]

Are you serious?

So a few people make a mistake with a firearm and they are going to strip us of the 2nd amendment? If you think that, you are fighting the wrong enemy.


Yes, idiots leave their guns in positions where they can be used by children, where they can go off accidentally, and all of a sudden everyone is calling for gun bans. Jayson Williams is a stupid piece of shit who should be doing time for killing an innocent man. "I was drunk and fucking around" isn't a suitable defense for why you killed someone.

[baseline bum]

I am not going to judge Jayson Williams we have all made mistakes but I think is time he owe up to them. Do you time and put this ugly mess behind you. When you come out the slate will be clean so to speak. On another note can we please let Vick get on with his life? I know what he did was horrible but how many times is he going to pay for it? He did his time let him resume his football career if a team wants him. Shame on PETA for be no better then a bunch of extreme nutjobs. For crying out loud you have wifebeaters and guys playing in the NFL who have killed people while driving drunk.

Totally agree with you on Vick.

[Galileo]

Yes, idiots leave their guns in positions where they can be used by children, where they can go off accidentally, and all of a sudden everyone is calling for gun bans. Jayson Williams is a stupid piece of shit who should be doing time for killing an innocent man. "I was drunk and fucking around" isn't a suitable defense for why you killed someone.

dude, this shit has been going on for hundreds of years. It is only recently that the mass media blasts every incident far and wide. It doesn;t have to be this way.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

why the fuck does this guy get press....he should be isolated and forgotten, send him to Gitmo or something...

[Galileo]

why the fuck does this guy get press....he should be isolated and forgotten, send him to Gitmo or something...

There is a constant drumbeat in the way crime is reported.

First of all, they always report what the police say with pro-police spin.

Second, no matter how petty, any minor scrap by any person who had the least amount of name recognition, gets reported on. This includes drunk driving tickets by has been rock stars, drug possession by NFL players who retired 20 years ago, it gets reported as if this is supposedly important news. If a college football player gets a disorderly conduct ticket, you can bet it will be big statewide news, even if the dude is third string, or it happens in the off-season.

With Jayson Williams, he seemed to be a pretty decent and professional guy. He had a good reputation in college and in the NBA, and became a broadcaster.

He gets involved in ONE incident, ONE accident that happened SEVEN YEARS AGO.

Since then, every single story about this guy has been negative. SEVEN YEARS reporting all the bullshit around his trial. And he basically won the trial.

The major claims made by the government was NOT AGREED TO by the jury. Yet this gets lost in the shuffle.

DRUMBEAT = YOU HAVE BEEN DUPED

[lefty]

In related news, Kobe just got arrested outside of the Pepsi Center

[duncan228]

Prosecutors seek jail for Williams (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/05/27/williams.arrest.ap/index.html)

Prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to sentence Jayson Williams for covering up a fatal shooting at his mansion in 2002 and cited the former NBA star's recent erratic behavior, including an assault arrest in North Carolina.

Williams, 41, was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in 2004 but convicted on four counts of trying to cover up the slaying of a hired driver at his mansion. The jury couldn't reach a reckless manslaughter count, and State Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman has delayed sentencing pending Williams' retrial on that charge.

The four cover-up counts, which include witness and evidence tampering, carry a combined maximum sentence of 13 years in prison, but Williams is not expected to receive a term longer than five years, the maximum sentence for the most serious charge.

A month ago, police used a stun gun on Williams during an altercation in a New York hotel room, and last weekend he was arrested in North Carolina and charged with assault for allegedly punching someone in a barroom dispute. Earlier this year, his wife filed divorce papers claiming he was abusive and had a drug problem.

"Defendant's escalating acts of unlawful and aberrant behavior must incur consequences that he has thus far evaded as the clear result of never having been sentenced on his convictions," Hunterdon County Assistant Prosecutor Bennett Barlyn wrote in Wednesday's motion.

Williams' retrial, now scheduled for January, has been pushed back several times, notably after it was disclosed in 2007 that an investigator in the prosecutor's office used a racial slur to describe Williams in 2002. Williams' defense team is seeking to have the cover-up convictions reversed on grounds of racial bias.

Barlyn argued in court papers that those efforts should be considered by an appellate court and should not delay sentencing.

"Further litigation, appeals and unanticipated delays are an absolute certainty," he wrote. "These anticipated and inevitable postponements should no longer delay sentencing for the crimes defendant has been found guilty of committing."

It was not immediately known when Coleman would rule on the motion.

Parties in the case are under a gag order issued by Coleman. Barlyn and Joseph Hayden Jr., the lead attorney representing Williams, did not return messages seeking comment Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Williams did not return a phone message Wednesday.

According to witnesses, 55-year-old Costas Christofi was killed when Williams took a loaded 12-gauge shotgun from a cabinet in his bedroom in front of several people and cracked it open, then snapped it closed. The gun fired once, hitting Christofi in the chest.

Witnesses testified that Williams wiped down the shotgun and placed it in the victim's hands, then stripped off his own clothes and jumped into his pool.

Williams' defense team says the shooting was an accident and that the gun misfired. Christofi's family received a reported $2.75 million settlement from Williams in 2003.

A former star at St. John's University, Williams played nine seasons in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets. Injuries forced him to retire in 2000.

[Galileo]

Prosecutors seek jail for Williams (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/05/27/williams.arrest.ap/index.html)

Prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to sentence Jayson Williams for covering up a fatal shooting at his mansion in 2002 and cited the former NBA star's recent erratic behavior, including an assault arrest in North Carolina.

Williams, 41, was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in 2004 but convicted on four counts of trying to cover up the slaying of a hired driver at his mansion. The jury couldn't reach a reckless manslaughter count, and State Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman has delayed sentencing pending Williams' retrial on that charge.

The four cover-up counts, which include witness and evidence tampering, carry a combined maximum sentence of 13 years in prison, but Williams is not expected to receive a term longer than five years, the maximum sentence for the most serious charge.

A month ago, police used a stun gun on Williams during an altercation in a New York hotel room, and last weekend he was arrested in North Carolina and charged with assault for allegedly punching someone in a barroom dispute. Earlier this year, his wife filed divorce papers claiming he was abusive and had a drug problem.

"Defendant's escalating acts of unlawful and aberrant behavior must incur consequences that he has thus far evaded as the clear result of never having been sentenced on his convictions," Hunterdon County Assistant Prosecutor Bennett Barlyn wrote in Wednesday's motion.

Williams' retrial, now scheduled for January, has been pushed back several times, notably after it was disclosed in 2007 that an investigator in the prosecutor's office used a racial slur to describe Williams in 2002. Williams' defense team is seeking to have the cover-up convictions reversed on grounds of racial bias.

Barlyn argued in court papers that those efforts should be considered by an appellate court and should not delay sentencing.

"Further litigation, appeals and unanticipated delays are an absolute certainty," he wrote. "These anticipated and inevitable postponements should no longer delay sentencing for the crimes defendant has been found guilty of committing."

It was not immediately known when Coleman would rule on the motion.

Parties in the case are under a gag order issued by Coleman. Barlyn and Joseph Hayden Jr., the lead attorney representing Williams, did not return messages seeking comment Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Williams did not return a phone message Wednesday.

According to witnesses, 55-year-old Costas Christofi was killed when Williams took a loaded 12-gauge shotgun from a cabinet in his bedroom in front of several people and cracked it open, then snapped it closed. The gun fired once, hitting Christofi in the chest.

Witnesses testified that Williams wiped down the shotgun and placed it in the victim's hands, then stripped off his own clothes and jumped into his pool.

Williams' defense team says the shooting was an accident and that the gun misfired. Christofi's family received a reported $2.75 million settlement from Williams in 2003.

A former star at St. John's University, Williams played nine seasons in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets. Injuries forced him to retire in 2000.

Looks like the government is pretty desperate to take this guy down. After 7 years of abuse from the government, it is starting to work.

Message - don't ever make any mistakes

[baseline bum]

Message - Don't ever shoot a guy and try to cover it up.

[Galileo]

Message - Don't ever shoot a guy and try to cover it up.

Jayson never shot anyone. The gun went off by accident. If someone is going to show off a loaded gun, don't go into the room, you are running the risk of a possible accident.

[baseline bum]

Jayson never shot anyone. The gun went off by accident. If someone is going to show off a loaded gun, don't go into the room, you are running the risk of a possible accident.

OK.. message is don't point a gun at someone, kill him, and try to cover it up and make it look like a suicide.

[oligarchy]

Jayson never shot anyone. The gun went off by accident. If someone is going to show off a loaded gun, don't go into the room, you are running the risk of a possible accident.

You can't be serious. I hope a gun accidentally goes off while you just happen to go into the room and are directly in front of it.

The funny thing is that you pretend to know all the intimate details of what happened. Were you there? You are assuming that the driver willfully and knowingly walked into this room that had a loaded weapon and knew this dumbass would be playing with it.

If he had no fault, why the fuck would he try to cover it up if it was just an accident? He should rot for being stupid.

[Basketballgirl25]

He was actually my first favorite Net player when I started watching Basketball

[Galileo]

You can't be serious. I hope a gun accidentally goes off while you just happen to go into the room and are directly in front of it.

The funny thing is that you pretend to know all the intimate details of what happened. Were you there? You are assuming that the driver willfully and knowingly walked into this room that had a loaded weapon and knew this dumbass would be playing with it.

If he had no fault, why the fuck would he try to cover it up if it was just an accident? He should rot for being stupid.

Not likely. I leave the room, if someone pulls out a gun.

For example, I was at a party several years ago, and some dudue showed up and was showing off the gun. I left right away.

I am not about to assume the risk.

[Galileo]

OK.. message is don't point a gun at someone, kill him, and try to cover it up and make it look like a suicide.

That was the fault of the police. The have developed a reputation that they can't be trusted. This caused Jayson involuntary panic.

[baseline bum]

That was the fault of the police. The have developed a reputation that they can't be trusted. This caused Jayson involuntary panic.

LMAO. The police are at fault for Jayson Williams pointing his shotgun at someone and killing him while showing it off drunk.

[wuss cones]

Gaylileo is on crack
(http://spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=9641)

[Galileo]

LMAO. The police are at fault for Jayson Williams pointing his shotgun at someone and killing him while showing it off drunk.

You don't get it. For good reason, most people are afraid of the police.

[baseline bum]

You don't get it. For good reason, most people are afraid of the police.

You don't get it. Don't act like an ass with a weapon because it's not a toy. People die when you screw up and act stupid.

[Galileo]

You don't get it. Don't act like an ass with a weapon because it's not a toy. People die when you screw up and act stupid.

dude, we have had thousands of soldiers die in accidents over in Iraq the past 7 years. If someone dies in an accident, that's what it is, an accident. Let it go.

[oligarchy]

dude, we have had thousands of soldiers die in accidents over in Iraq the past 7 years. If someone dies in an accident, that's what it is, an accident. Let it go.

You're simply a moron. Accidents are always caused by someone or something. This accident was caused by someone similarly stupid as yourself. When thousands of soldiers die in an accident, there's someone at fault. It could be someone giving coordinates incorrectly or whatever, but there is a cause. This guy died BECAUSE JAYSON WILLIAMS WANTED TO PLAY WITH A SHOTGUN. The "accident" part was him trying to not spend the rest of his life in prison. HE SHOT HIM. HE TRIED TO COVER IT UP.

He didn't try to cover it up because of some fucked up justice system, he tried to cover it up so he wouldn't spend time in jail, which is exactly where he should be.

You seriously can't be that dense.