Williams Is Accused of Cover-Up
FLEMINGTON, N.J. — Prosecutors filed more charges Monday against Jayson Williams in the shooting death of a limousine driver at his mansion, alleging the former NBA star wiped his fingerprints off the shotgun and told guests to tell police it was suicide.
Williams, 34, has already been charged with manslaughter in the Feb. 14 shooting of Costas Christofi. Prosecutors have said the former New Jersey Net was handling the shotgun recklessly.
The new charges are hindering apprehension, evidence tampering, witness tampering, fabricating physical evidence and conspiracy to obstruct the law, which carry a combined penalty of more than 14 years in prison. Manslaughter carries up to 10 years.
Williams surrendered at the courthouse Monday and posted $20,000 bail before leaving.
After Christofi was shot, Williams removed his own clothes and tried to hide them, officials said. He also allegedly tried to position the shotgun at an angle to make it seem as if the driver shot himself.
Williams wiped his fingerprints off the shotgun, then “attempted to imprint the victim’s fingerprints upon the very same shotgun in an effort to convince investigators that the shooting had been self-inflicted,†prosecutors said.
Several witnesses at Williams’ estate told police Williams told them to lie “in order to convince detectives that the victim’s death had been self-inflicted,†prosecutors said.
Two of his guests, Kent Culuko, 29, and John W. Gordnick, 44, were also charged Monday with evidence tampering, hindering apprehension and conspiracy to obstruct the law. Culuko was also charged with witness tampering.
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