Troubled former NBA star Jayson Williams, who faces 18 months to five years in prison for the death of his former limo driver, was the victim of a brazen break-in that resulted in more than $150,000 in merchandise being removed from his South Carolina home.

From Blackvoices

According to the Beauford Sheriff’s office, as to when the burglary actually took place could not be pinpointed because Williams and his wife were away for two weeks. The ex-athlete reported missing such treasured possessions as a pair of personally autographed Tiger Woods shoes. Williams also noted that a pair of shorts signed by basketball legend Wilt “Wilt-the-Stilt” Chamberlain was also allegedly taken. A handwritten lyric sheet penned by rapper extraordinaire Tupac Shakur was also included among the inventory of stolen items.

The burglars are also said to have taken electronic equipment, such as four plasma televisions, gold Rolex and diamond Breitling. watches and a host of other sports memorabilia.

Former NBA star Jayson Williams has agreed to take an 18-month sentence for aggravated assault, according to media reports.

Williams, 41,  is on trial for the 2002 death of his limo driver, 55-year-old Costas “Gus” Christofi, who was shot at Williams mansion in New Jersey. Williams was originally charged with one count of reckless manslaughter.

From NJ.com

The details of the plea deal are not clear, and plea deals deals are never final until a defendant puts his plea on the record and the judge agrees to accept it.

The deal, however, is expected to be somewhat different from the one Williams was expected to take in November, but he did not appear in court and the hearing was delayed. The deal is expected to involve a prison sentence, combined with a stipulation of no parole for 18 months, according to the person with knowledge of the deal.

Williams first went to trial in 2004, accused of recklessly handling a shotgun that fired and killed Christofi. He hired the man to drive guests back to his estate after a Harlem Globetrotters game.

Christofi was in the room with other guests when Williams was reportedly showing off a shotgun. Witnesses said he snapped the gun shut and it fired a single shot into Christofi’s chest. Investigators said Williams then placed the gun in Christofi’s hands and asked those in the room to lie.

The defense has insisted the shooting was an accident that continues to haunt Williams. In 2003, he paid $2.75 million to settle a wrongful civil death suit with Christofi’s family.

A judge ruled Monday that former NBA forward Jayson Williams may remain free on bail as he awaits a retrial on manslaughter charges in the shooting death of his limousine driver in 2002. While he was acquitted in 2004 of aggravated manslaughter and the jury deadlocked on the reckless manslaughter charge, he was convicted of trying to cover up the shooting of his hired driver, Costas “Gus” Christofi, at his mansion in Alexandria Township, N.J. Read the rest.

Trouble just seems to follow former NBA star Jayson Williams. Already facing a retrial for shooting to death his limo driver seven years ago and Tasered by police last month at a New York City hotel, Williams was arrested late Sunday for allegedly punching a man in the face at a North Carolina bar. Raleigh Police say the 41-year-old ex-New Jersey Net player was charged with simple assault. “We chose to arrest Mr. Williams after interviewing the victim and other, uninvolved witnesses inside the bar,” Raleigh Police Capt. T.L. Earnhardt told The Star-Ledger newspaper. “People were bumping into people at the bar, and there was apparently a verbal confrontation between Mr. Williams and the victim. Mr. Williams then chose to become physical.” But Williams’ manager, Akhtar Farzaie, emphasized that violence is totally out of character for his client. He noted that a friend who was with Williams that night told him that several male customers confronted Williams after taunting him. “When they got close to Williams, they became more aggressive and the ex-Nets player simply defended himself, the friend told Farzaie,” according to The Star-Ledger. Before going to the bar to shoot pool, Williams had been at a restaurant where he treated several military veterans to dinner, Farzaie said, noting that his client had not been drinking. A witness corroborated Farzaie’s version of events, the paper reports. A Raleigh man told The Star- Ledger that Williams was surrounded by several men who accused him of bumping one member of the group and causing him to spill a drink. The witness, Lathan Woodard, 34, said Williams apologized but the men persisted, cursing him and “trying to start a fight with him.”

Former NBA Star Deemed
Former NBA star Jayson Williams, convicted five years ago of trying to cover up the shooting death of his limo driver, was in a suicidal drunken rage at a New York City hotel early Monday when police Tasered him and took him into custody. When police arrived at the Battery Park City in lower Manhattan at around 4 a.m., the former New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers star was in his junky hotel suite with empty bottles of prescription drugs strewn about, authorities said. After Tasering the 6-foot-10 Williams, the elite Emergency Services Unit Police, which is specially trained to deal with suicidal persons, handcuffed him and took him to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation, according to police. Williams, who retired from the NBA in 2000, was convicted in 2004 of trying to cover up the shooting death of Costas “Gus” Christofi, his hired driver, at his mansion in Alexandria Township, N.J. He was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter, but the jury hung on the more serious reckless manslaughter count. A retrial is pending, and Williams has been free on bail since the 2002 shooting. Adding to his distress, his wife filed divorce papers this year claiming he was abusive, adulterous and had a drug problem. “Jayson is doing fine. He said he was fine,” said the baller’s manager, Akhtar Farzaie. “All of us are here to be by his side as friends.”

Jayson Williams gave oral to White girls, says wife. An ex-NBA star and former commentator who escaped a murder conviction has new troubles. Former Nets player Jayson Williams’ wife has filed for divorce, accusing him of physical and emotional abuse, family abandonment and bragging that he performed oral sex “on White girls.” Tanya Young Williams claims that her husband has threatened to kill her, faked a suicide and falsely claimed to have stomach cancer. Among the other allegations she makes is that the ex-baller once urinated in their home’s kitchen sink. Among other things, she wants sole custody of their children. Williams was charged with the 2002 shooting death of a limo driver, but he was not convicted. He reportedly killed the man accidentally, while playing with a shotgun. Williams could face trial again on reckless manslaughter charges.