Retired NBA star Jayson Williams has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Williams today gave a teary-eyed apology to Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman.
“I know there’s nothing I can do to bring Mr. Christofi back,” Williams said to Christofi’s family. “I am deeply deeply sorry… I pray that today brings you some comfort.”
It’s the end of a saga that started in 2002, when Williams shot limousine driver Costas “Gus” Christofi with a shotgun, accidentally, while showing Christofi the gun collection in his New Jersey mansion. Williams panicked and tried to make it look like Christofi had shot himself, but the police didn’t buy his story for long.
Williams was acquitted of the most serious charge, aggravated manslaughter, in 2004. But there were various complications and he was scheduled to be retried this year. Instead he pleaded guilty last month and was formally sentenced today.
More at our Jayson Williams biography >>