Bored 0 Report post Posted April 30, 2004 Williams acquitted of aggravated manslaughter April 30, 2004 SportsLine.com wire reports SOMERVILLE, N.J. -- Former NBA player Jayson Williams was acquitted Friday of the most serious charge against him, aggravated manslaughter. The jury said it could not agree on the charge of reckless manslaughter. Williams was convicted on four of the six lesser charges in the Feb. 14, 2002, death of limousine driver Costas "Gus" Christofi at Williams' mansion. The convictions were related to tampering with evidence and attempting to cover up the shooting. Collectively, the charges carry a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison. AP NEWS The Associated Press News Service Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest OctoberBlood Report post Posted April 30, 2004 I've watched this trial since the beginning on CourtTV, and watched the convictions today Live. I can not believe he was acquitted the charge of aggravated manslaughter. So much BS. Hopefully on May 21st, he will be charged with atleast reckless manslauhter. Sigh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest cpac Report post Posted April 30, 2004 They just showed a lady from the jury on espn. She didn't look too bright. This is oj number 2. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Youth N Asia 0 Report post Posted April 30, 2004 Just another case of the guy in the back of the limo being worth more then the guy in the front. Complete shit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted April 30, 2004 Looks like he won't serve a day in jail but instead will get probation. I'm not one bit shocked by any of this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NYU 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2004 Well, to be honest, the prosecution didn't fully convince me that the murder was completely intentional. I still feel that the actual killing was an accident. Thinking about it realistically, why would Jayson Williams choose THAT TIME - when his mansion was filled with a whole bunch of friends/witnesses - to finally kill a limosuine driver? It's silly to think that he planned it all out, and then actually thought he could get away from it scot-free. The way I see it, the murder was unintentional. But still.....a murder happened, and it happened in a stupid, reckless way. I can't say I completely disagree with the jury ruling today. He definitely should have been convicted of all the evidence-tampering and witness-tampering offenses. This can't be disputed. Williams saw what he did, freaked out like many would, and tried to cover it up without thinking of the consequences. So, obviously, there's no doubt that he was guilty of this. I would also hope that he's convicted of Reckless Manslaughter, because that is EXACTLY what has been proven to happen. He killed the limo driver, and he did it in a insanely idiotic way by spinning his gun around and showing it off to his friends. It was incredibly reckless and it wound up killing the driver unintentionally, so I would hope Jayson winds up guilty of this as well. Yet, I just can't agree that he should be convicted of aggravated manslaughter. I do hope that Jayson Williams winds up going to prison for a few years. He still did something incredibly stupid by showboating with the gun, and then actually tried to lie about it and cover up the entire incident. This is something that needs to be punished. And, truth be told, if this was a normal person without the fame of Jayson Williams and without his financial sources for a defense team, he would definitely be sent to jail for a while. It's improbable to think that a middle-class man, after facing all these charges and being convicted of four - possibly five - of them would be given Probation, so I do hope Williams isn't given special treatment. All in all, should Jayson have been convicted of the most serious charge in aggravated manslaughter? I don't think so. Should he have been convicted of the tampering charges? Absolutely. Should he be convicted of reckless manslaughter? In my opinion, yes. And should he be sent to jail for a little while? Definitely. In the eyes of the court, there should be NO special treatment - and hopefully, it will work out that way this time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MikeSC Report post Posted May 1, 2004 A radio show made a sad, but true, point. Since he wasn't convicted of ANY actual crimes --- his lawyers can probably get his convictions for conspiracy et al removed from his record. After all, if no crime was comitted, then no conspiracy could have existed, either. -=Mike ...You can't conspire to do nothing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smell the ratings!!! Report post Posted May 1, 2004 the sad, but true point is that this fact probably never occured to any of the jury members. and on the off chance anyone is actually suprised by this, please come to my house so I can shoot you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2004 and on the off chance anyone is actually suprised by this, please come to my house so I can shoot you. Are you from Jersey too? If so, mazel tov! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes Report post Posted May 1, 2004 How is Jayson Williams in ANYWAY compared to O.J. Simpson besides being black? O.J. was a super-super-super star, was in TV commercials, movies, etc. Williams was an above average B-Ball player. I guess it's the black thing....fucking racists. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NYU 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2004 How is Jayson Williams in ANYWAY compared to O.J. Simpson besides being black? O.J. was a super-super-super star, was in TV commercials, movies, etc. Williams was an above average B-Ball player. I guess it's the black thing....fucking racists. Perhaps it's the fact that they both killed somebody, then tried to cover it up. Admittedly, one of them was more successful at covering-up the murder than the other one was, but similiarities can definitely be drawn between both cases. Perhaps it is also the fact that they are both wealthy African-Americans who used their money to basically buy their innocence. It's fairly obvious that both committed murders, but it's very possible that neither of them will face jailtime. The same might not be said for any middle-class person facing the same charges. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest cpac Report post Posted May 1, 2004 This is what happens when you put ignorant people on the jury. I am sorry but even if you accidently kill somebody you should pay for it. Your holding a loaded gun and it goes off and someone dies. You have to pay for it. I know the limo driver family got money from a wronful death lawsuit. But the fact that the man who killed their son, brother, father is a free man today? Thats a shame. People who have done far less serious crimes have spent more jail days than Jayson Williams who is beyond a nutcase. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MikeSC Report post Posted May 1, 2004 This is what happens when you put ignorant people on the jury. I am sorry but even if you accidently kill somebody you should pay for it. Your holding a loaded gun and it goes off and someone dies. You have to pay for it. I know the limo driver family got money from a wronful death lawsuit. But the fact that the man who killed their son, brother, father is a free man today? Thats a shame. People who have done far less serious crimes have spent more jail days than Jayson Williams who is beyond a nutcase. Blame the judge. His instructions to the jury, according to Fox Sports radio, was that if they felt the shooting was accidental, then Jayson couldn't be convicted of manslaughter. The host then asked the obvious question: According to this judge, when the heck CAN you convict somebody of manslaughter? -=Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
