Somerville, NJ (Sportsbooks) - Former
New Jersey Nets star Jayson Williams was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday for the shooting death of a limousine driver eight years ago.
Last month, Williams agreed to a plea bargain with prosecutors, avoiding a retrial on reckless manslaughter charges in the death of Costas "Gus" Christofi on February 14, 2002 at the New Jersey home of the former player.
Williams will serve a minimum of 18 months in prison before he is eligible for parole. He made a statement in front of Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman before sentencing was rendered.
"There's not a day that I wake up and not feel sorry for what I did to Mr. Christofi," Williams said to the Christofi family.
"I know there's nothing I can do to bring Mr. Christofi back. I am deeply, deeply sorry for my choices in actions after Mr. Christofi's death. I pray that today brings you some comfort.
"To my family, please forgive me for the pain I've caused to you. You deserve a better father, son, brother than I have been. To my friends, I regret having let you down.
"I'm not a bad man, but I acted badly on February 14. I will work endlessly to improve myself and help others."
After sentencing, Williams was led out of the court room in handcuffs.
Williams was accused of recklessly handling the shotgun that killed the 55- year-old Christofi and then trying to make the shooting look self-inflicted. He asked his guests to help him in the cover-up.
In the 2004 trial, Williams was found not guilty of aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon with unlawful purpose. He was found guilty on the cover-up charges of hindering apprehension, tampering with a witness, tampering with evidence and fabricating physical evidence.
However, a jury did not reach a verdict on the reckless manslaughter charge, which carried a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Witnesses, in the first trial, testified that Williams told his guests that they must agree the shooting was a suicide.
Five testified that Williams wiped his own fingerprints from the gun after it fired once while he snapped it shut. Four said he attempted to place the victim's prints on the weapon.
Williams' defense team originally argued the shotgun misfired while he was giving a tour of his mansion, and that their client was too distraught to orchestrate an elaborate cover-up.
Two witnesses eventually reached a deal with prosecutors to testify against Williams to avoid charges of tampering with evidence and lying to investigators.
Williams spent nine years in the NBA, averaging 7.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. His career ended in 1999 when he broke his right leg and injured his right knee.
