SOMERVILLE, N.J. - Although acquitted of the most serious charge,former NBA star Jayson Williams faces the possibility of a retrial,as well as prison time for convictions on attempting to conceal theshooting of a hired driver.
Williams was convicted Friday on four of six lesser charges,related to tampering with evidence and trying to cover up the deathof Costas "Gus" Christofi. He was killed by a shotgun blast asWilliams handled the weapon while showing friends his mansion.
After four days of deliberations, the jury cleared Williams ofaggravated manslaughter but could not reach an unanimous verdict onthe second major charge, reckless manslaughter, which carries up to10 years in prison.
Several jurors said they were split 8-4 on that count, with themajority voting not guilty. Prosecutors have not yet decided whetherto retry Williams.
The jurors said they accepted the defense argument that theshooting was an accident and the weapon misfired.
"Jayson Williams is not a criminal," juror Ann Stengel said. "Washe negligent? Yes. Should he have known better? Yes."
"I never looked over there and saw a cold-blooded killer," jurorAngela Pravata said.
However, they did convict Williams of four charges, includingwitness and evidence tampering.
Together, the four charges carry up to 13 years in prison. ButWilliams would probably receive a sentence of less than five years,the maximum for the most serious count. No date was set forsentencing. The 36-year-old former player could have faced up to 55years in prison if convicted on all eight counts.
Williams displayed no emotion as he stood with his lawyers as theverdicts were read. After he sat down, he leaned back and kissed wifeTanya. He remains free on bail.
He did not speak to reporters as he left the courtroom, holdinghands with his wife.
Defense lawyer Billy Martin said the verdict showed the juryunderstood the investigation was flawed.
"We told the jury there had never been an objective investigation.We told the jury this was an accident," Martin said.
The victim's nephew, Anthony Christofi, told Court TV he wasdisappointed by the split verdict, "but we have to respect thedecision the jury made."
Another Christofi relative, nephew Chris Adams, reacted bitterly.
"He was never held accountable for his actions. He was reckless;he was showing off," Adams said. "He thinks he's a mobster. All thisfame and power went to his head."
The shooting took place as Williams was giving friends and membersof the Harlem Globetrotters a tour of his estate in western NewJersey in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2002.
Testimony showed Williams took a loaded shotgun from a cabinet,cracked it open, turned, uttered an obscenity at the 55-year-oldChristofi and snapped it closed. It then fired once, sending 12pellets into Christofi's chest. He died within minutes.
Five witnesses testified Williams then wiped down the shotgun, andfour said Williams placed it in the victim's hands.
Besides claiming it was an accident, the defense asserted that theformer NBA All-Star was so distraught after the shooting he could notorganize a cover-up.
The verdict came after jurors informed the judge they could notreach a decision on one count.
On Thursday, jurors told Judge Edward M. Coleman they had reacheda decision on six of the charges, but could not agree on two others.
The eight women and four men sat since Feb. 10 and deliberated fornearly 23 hours.
AP-ES-05-01-04 0329EDT
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