Jayson Williams trial

[Pepper]

Anybody watching this on Court TV? Is there any reason whatsoever why this guy should be found not guilty?

He's just another overpaid spoiled celebrity who thinks the laws don't apply to him!

[mommyd]

YES!! I have been following this case since day 1 on CourtTV and I am just fascinated! Jayson Williams seems like such a creep! The more I find out about him, the more I can't stand him. I really do think this was an accident but he IS guilty of reckless endangerment at least. I feel very sorry for Gus' family. Very sad.

d

[Rum Tum Tugger]

Pepper & "D" ... my sentiments are in line with both of yours as expressed above.

Maybe mine go even a bit further .. as I was ready to convict this SOB as soon as I heard he purposely shot & killed his pet dog after losing a bet. Unfortunately, the jury will never hear much about Jayson's reckless and evil behavior prior to this incident.

Hopefully, the jury is intelligent enough to see beyond all of Billy Martin's bluster and are able to get to the heart of the matter. I hope Williams is convicted on all charges and goes to prison. He is not 'above the law' .. regardless of how he fancies himself.

Christofi deserved so much better than he received from this self-absorbed, reckless, controlling show-off. IF Williams is fooling the jury about who he is .. he certainly isn't pulling the wool over the eyes of the CTV viewers.

Praying for savvy intelligent jurors ....

Rum Tum

[Jasteph]

Does anyone remember when Oprah had Jayson on her show? It's been several years ago. At the time, he was raising his sister's children. She was murdered by her boyfriend. He seemed like a really nice guy. If you've discussed this before, I apologize. It's been a very long time since I posted at WebSleuths.

[mommyd]

No, I didn't watch him on that show but I did know that he was raising them. I commend him for that but that in no way excuses what he did. I thought it was terrible what he did to his dog also. I'm only sorry the jury will not hear of that incident or hear what his blood alcohol levels were when he was tested.
It is such a shame how he treated Gus because he was a huge NBA fan and was really excited to be able to take the job driving for him. :(

d

[River]

Does anyone remember when Oprah had Jayson on her show? It's been several years ago. At the time, he was raising his sister's children. She was murdered by her boyfriend. He seemed like a really nice guy. If you've discussed this before, I apologize. It's been a very long time since I posted at WebSleuths.

WELCOME BACK JASTEPH! How are the kiddos?

I vaguely remember that show with Oprah and Jayson. Do you know who has the children of his murdered sister now?

Of course, I think that Jayson did this, intentionallly and with malice. I don't think he had foresight, however. I think he acted in the heat of the moment. If he hadn't had a gun, it would have been a fist fight at best.

Tragic case.

[Babcat]

why no one started a thread about this. :waitasec:

I was starting to think we had NBA members here that would take offense and nobody wanted to open that can of worms. :chicken: Teeheehee

I disagree that he intentionally shot this man. No way. There is not motive whatsoever and no scenario that would make sense in an argument for intentional shooting. The prosecution would have pursued that path... GUARANTEED... if they had even one witness that himself believed the shooting was intentional.

Did he aim the gun at Gus? Absolutely. Did he intentionally pull the trigger? No one has made a compelling case for that theory. Did he know the gun was loaded? I'm not sure. But... did he know the gun was loaded, AND... intentionally aim it at Gus, AND... intentionally pull the trigger anticipating a shotgun blast that would blow a hole in a man he just met and had no motive to kill? No way. Jayson loved HIMSELF too much.

What troubles me about this case is the lack of the ability of TWELVE men to "do the right thing". I believe some of them were APPALLED. Some may have been in shock initially. I believe Victor, Jayson's brother who placed the 911 call, didn't even KNOW what happened. He took his brother's word at face value. I will truly be interested in seeing if he is called to testify.

Mostly though, I feel terrible sadness for Gus Christofi, and of course for his family left behind. He was a short, stocky, older man surrounded by tall athletic basketball players, a personal trainer, and much younger men. He was starstruck, brought a disposable camera in hopes of just getting a picture, and totally non offensive and non threatening to anyone. He handled himself completely professionally and I believe his better judgement told him to NOT go in that house. He was talked into entering the house by well meaning friends of Jayson that genuinely liked Gus. I think Gus gave in and went inside out of curiosity about the house, a desire not to offend the men that asked him to, and a need to feel that Jayson Williams was indeed the great selfless person portrayed by the press. Gus' experience at the restaurant had shown him otherwise. I think he felt that maybe Jayson did just have an odd sense of humor and that Gus would find that Jayson was really the great guy he'd read about. Gus was a huge sports fan and Jayson was a favorite local son.

I'm amazed at the real study in psychology that compelled all these men to cover for Jayson Williams, despite some of them KNOWING the police would be able to tell right away the story was not plausible. I believe some were genuinely good friends of Jayson who did not want him to get in trouble. I believe some really just wanted no part in getting involved with the whole incident and believed they were more likely to be left alone if they didn't "rock the boat". My greatest curiosity is in the actions of the Harlem Globetrotters who had no motive to cover for Williams, no need to feel as if their life would change significantly if he were held accountable, and no particular loyalty to him.

I anxiously await the testimony of Curly "Boo" Johnson who had no prior connection to Williams and job security with the Globetrotters. I believe he will tell the most compelling version of the truth.

As far as the dog shooting incident... NO ONE has substantiated that rumor at all. It was never noted as an incident when it supposedly happened, and no one can even swear he owned that dog. I'm inclined to believe this is an urban legend.

On the periphery, I believe Jayson Williams' wife is obnoxious, offensive, and certainly NOT an asset to him in any way. She either needs to stay home and watch the coverage on Court TV, or shut the hell up. And her website is a disgrace and a total defiance to the gag order.

[mommyd]

Dang Babcat, why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel!! LOL ;) I agree with everything you said. I was watching today while some of the Globetrotters testified and they really didn't make credible witnesses. I'm not really sure how much they will help or hurt the case. I think they just really didn't want to get involved.

So, what do any of you think of Dean Bumbaco? Do you think he was credible?

d

[Babcat]

Dean Bumbaco was the most credible witness to take the stand so far. He's a character for sure... but he's no dummy. Billy Martin underestimated what it would take to get under this guy's skin. For one thing he was the only one totally sober. That tends to lend credibility to his story. And he did not attempt to portray himself as a hero or good guy... and that adds to credibility.

The only two things that Bumbaco claimed that I doubted were:
1) He felt that Jayson was NOT joking at the restaurant. I disagree. This does not make his testimony false at all, because it has to do with how HE interpreted the incident. But I have friends who are like Jayson Williams and can look totally serious and be totally joking.

2) He said he went along with a cover-up plan because he felt his own life might be in danger. I had a hard time swallowing that. It seemed obvious that the shooting of Christoffi, no matter how stupidly negligent, was a mistake. The likelyhood that Williams would then start systematically gunning down every friend not willing to play the cover-up game seems to drip with problems in the credibility department. It seemed like a convenient excuse to reject any blame for the lack of aid administered to Mr. Christoffi. Most likely these men are embarassed and ashamed of how they behaved.

However... a few days later Kent Coluko would testify quite believably that he, too, was afraid for his life. This made me think twice about my original take on this issue.

[mommyd]

I agree about Dean. I really liked the guy and he did come across as very credible. I also liked Kent Coluko and thought he was credible as well. I'm not really sure why they would think THEIR lives were in danger because I do think it was an accident but as I listened to some of the testimony today, I began wondering about the accident part! It was stated that one of the Globetrotters, Benjamin, saw that the gun was loaded and that Jayson did have his finger ON THE TRIGGER! But, like I said, I didn't think today's testimony was too credible.
And the fact that more than one person has testified that Jayson, immediately after the shooting, said "MY life is over!" makes me not like this guy even more! He could care less about Gus and the fact that he didn't even attempt to help the poor man is proof of that!
As for him just joking with Gus at the restaurant, he might have been, but he was still pretty rude IMHO!

d

[blueclouds]

sure, I think he should be found not guilty because he's "much more attractive" than OJ Simpson.

;) He's hopefully gone away for awhile.

PS: Did anyone see the interview done by Barbara Walters with him & his wife. Praise Jesus, Jayson almost walks on water the way they were talking.

[Jasteph]

WELCOME BACK JASTEPH! How are the kiddos?

I vaguely remember that show with Oprah and Jayson. Do you know who has the children of his murdered sister now?

Of course, I think that Jayson did this, intentionallly and with malice. I don't think he had foresight, however. I think he acted in the heat of the moment. If he hadn't had a gun, it would have been a fist fight at best.

Tragic case.

I too, believe it was a heat of the moment type situation. This is one case I really don't know a whole lot about. When I first heard about it I couldn't believe it was the same Jayson I had seen on Oprah. As for who is raising those children now, I have no idea.

River, my kids are doing great. How's everyone in your household??? I've been lurking around here for some time. Things are so busy now I can barely think straight.

Anyhoo, I'm trying to get caught up with everything you guys have been doing.

[txsvicki]

I've been watching the case and I think that he shot the limo driver on purpose. He was paranoid and freaking out about Gus being in his bedroom, took the gun out, cracked it, pointed it, and shot the poor man. He should be charged with 2nd degree murder instead of manslaughter. Williams was a time bomb who had already went off on a helpless dog. That is a symptom of being a psycho. In my opinion, he was not fit to be raising his sister's kids. Look what he's done to them now, and having loaded guns around is not safe. Williams had already been taunting Gus in the restaurant, then acting like a split personality telling him to stay and that "your'e one of the guys tonite". What a wacko.

[joanie10]

I've been watching this trial from the beginning. I'm also an NBA fan. I even read Jayson Williams' book when it first came out. I liked the guy until I read his book. He picked on people in it too. Like he was better and smarter then the other ball players.

From all I have heard so far Jayson was very rude to Gus from the beginning. Like Gus was so far below him he didn't have to be nice to him.


I think he will be found guilty. I don't believe he meant to kill (or even shoot) Gus. I believe he knew the gun was loaded. He opened it and looked inside. Also they are his guns. He was being a show off plain and simple. He had a house full of people (some he didn't know very well), who had had some alcohol, as he had. The last thing he should have done was get out a loaded gun. Geez! What was he thinking? In that big house the only things he wanted to show people were his guns?

After he shot Gus he said "My life is over!" His life! What about Gus' life?

I don't understand why so many people agreed to lie. They knew what happened was wrong. None of them were even in trouble until they lied.

I haven't been to his wife's website. I am just not that interested in what she has to say.

I think the trial is going to be very interesting this week.

My heart goes out to Gus' family. The man went to work as usual.

Joanie

[Babcat]

I really want to cry for Mr. Christoffi. It breaks my heart. Here he was, this regular guy, that even bought a disposable camera hoping to get pictures of these players because he looked up to them so much. Then he goes to the restaurant and gets treated so poorly. I do think Jayson was "joking" but it appears his jokes are often at someone else's expense. I was sold on the "just plain old joke" that Gus didn't immediately "get" idea, until Benoit Benjamin talked about the cruel things Jayson said about him that same night just to get a laugh. People who always must be funny at someone else's expense have deeper issues. It is an inborn, or more likely learned, insecurity that makes them bring others down in order to raise themselves up. At least in their own eyes. I don't think they even realize when others have caught on and find the practice offensive.

I think his friends did find his "humor" offensive. Most testified that they did, (some without actually coming out and saying so). But it seems it took putting them under oath to admit that Jayson was obnoxious. Why all the men went along with the bogus story, especially when JG testified that he told them "You have a better chance of winning the lottery every day than getting the police to believe he shot himself," is a real study in either psychology or sociology. I would not have been surprised if this had been a group of teenagers. I'm shocked because these were 30 something grown men.

I've tried to picture a scenario in which Jayson did this intentionally and I simply can't. I don't believe he meant to kill Gus. I don't know what he was thinking. Did he really think the gun was unloaded because he was so drunk? Did the gun really just go off when he flipped it up, as some defect of the gun, even though it had never done it before? Was the intent to scare the pants off of Gus so he wouldn't assume it was OK to follow the other men wherever they entered? I don't know if we will ever be sure what the truth is. But he had no motive to shoot Gus. He was so concerned about his own life and how it would change, even if he cared nothing about Gus. It is just such a tragedy.

I hear the trial is going to be postponed due to a death in the family of a witness or an attorney.

[joanie10]

I was watching Dr. Henry Lee testify at the Jayson Williams trial. I was not very please with what I heard. I don't think he did a very thorough investigation. He did not even know Jayson's clothes were available or that Jayson did not have them on when he jumped in the pool. With what this man is paid I would expect a lot more from him. He evidently didn't even take the time to read any of the reports.

I realize that he often comes in after the fact. He gets to examine things after others have aready examined. But the 2 things I mention above are really big slips in my opinion.

[mommyd]

I still don't even understand WHY this man was called in on this case to begin with! Everyone knows that Jayson did the shooting! What good did Dr. Lee do for either side?

d

[LP Moderator]

The guy has a history of being careless with a firearm and needs to be punished just like you or I would be if we had a history of being careless with a firearm and an innocent person was killed.

[joanie10]

Hi All,
Okay, so at the risk of sounding stupid: What is a 'shinebox'? They keep talking about a 'shinebox' in the Jayson Williams trial. Somehow I don't think they are referring to a shoeshine box. They talk about the movie 'Goodfellows' a lot, so I am thinking the expression is in that movie. I saw the movie but I don't remember.
Thanks,

[goody34]

Hi All,
Okay, so at the risk of sounding stupid: What is a 'shinebox'? They keep talking about a 'shinebox' in the Jayson Williams trial. Somehow I don't think they are referring to a shoeshine box. They talk about the movie 'Goodfellows' a lot, so I am thinking the expression is in that movie. I saw the movie but I don't remember.
Thanks,

Hi joanie10,
A shinebox is a refrence to a shoe shine box,
In goodfellows when joe pesci(sp) and robert dinero meet a fellow ganster in the bar who just got released from prison he was insulting pesci(sp?) and told him to go get his shinebox,

[joanie10]

Thank you, goody34. I guess I expected it to be something not so simple.





Hi joanie10,
A shinebox is a refrence to a shoe shine box,
In goodfellows when joe pesci(sp) and robert dinero meet a fellow ganster in the bar who just got released from prison he was insulting pesci(sp?) and told him to go get his shinebox,

[7kluz]

joanie10, I agree that the case wasn't investigated properly. I also heard Dr. Lee's testimony and it appeared that this case was just not "a big deal." It is SO sad that some cases/verdicts depend on WHO you are and your financial status.

[joanie10]

I didn't get to see the Jayson trial today. Got up late, went to doc with hubby, the drug store. I saw some bits and pieces of the Globetrotters on the stand. I would really be interested in your impressions. Didn't seem to me that Curly "Boo" Johnson saw much of anything. all he saw was after the fact from what I gathered.

I also was hoping as the trial moved on that I would understand why so many people who did nothing wrong lied. The only one who did anything wrong was Jayson. That is obvious. Yet for weeks they all lied as to where they all were.

I hope one day I will get a clue about this. lol

[mommyd]

I also missed yesterday's and today's testimony. Could someone fills us in on what happened?

Thanks in advance!

d

[joanie10]

mommyd,
What I saw yesterday, and so far today, they are talking with the ballistics expert about the gun. From what I gathered, so far, it is not all that easy to accidently fire that gun. Or am I wrong about that? The gun was in good condition because, after firing it a number of times, they didn't feel it neccessary to dismantle it because it wasn't misfiring. The guy on Court TV said the gun has a double click trigger. Correct me if I am wrong, the safety has to be taken off and the trigger has to be clicked twice in order to fire it.

I don't know a whole lot about guns. This is my impression.



I also missed yesterday's and today's testimony. Could someone fills us in on what happened?

Thanks in advance!

d

[sariebell]

I really wonder if Jayson Williams was up to some kind of shady dealings. He kept calling Gus a "Stoolie". I realize this may be another reference to the gangster lifestyle that Williams was so anxious to portray, however, I wonder if there is more to this. Gus was an outsider and seemed to be sitting back observing everything. He could have seemed like a threat to a paranoid person who is up to no good. Just a thought...

[mommyd]

Yeah, he could have been very paranoid due to drug use too! We all know that there were large amounts of alcohol consumed but I've heard reports that cocaine was involved as well. That's not "official" of course.

As for the gun, I saw a report with Vinnie Politan (sp???) of CourtTV and a gun expert and he did say that it was very unlikely that this particular gun would misfire. It did have a double click safety thing on it but I thought he said that you pulled the trigger once to take it off safety and then pulled the trigger again to fire the gun. ( I may be getting the report wrong, please correct me if I am!) If that is true, then Jayson would have had to pull the trigger twice in order to have shot Gus.

So, any opinions on who was the strongest witness for the State?

d

[Babcat]

Is anyone else wondering what the hello these lawyers... on BOTH sides... are trying to pull in this case?? :waitasec:

We've heard from Henry Lee... and we have to wonder "why?" What did his testimony add to this case AT ALL? Do people remember the theatrical ass he made of himself in the Michael Peterson trial? Yes... even Henry Lee is now a high priced call girl. Guess we can't call them prostitutes considering what they make... you know, like exotic dancer versus stripper. :rolleyes: I was really waiting for him to pour ketchup on his stomach and chest and take the role of Gus like he took the role of Kathleen Peterson. :mad:

The facts about WHO was holding the gun that went off, WHO was shot dead, and WHERE the victim fell and died have NEVER been in dispute since before the trial began. Now the defense wants us to hear ramblings from Michael Baden who made an ass of himself a couple of months ago in the manslaughter case of Seymour Schuss, suggesting that perhaps (victim)Mr. Rosenburg had an aneurism coincidentally at exactly the same moment he was knocked to the ground by Schuss and struck his head on concrete. Had that testimony come from a fully qualified forensic pathologist no one had ever heard of, it would have drawn audible laughter from the jury box. But because Baden has some unnatural reputation as GOD of forensic pathology, his testimony actually caused one juror hold out and the jury hung... once again proving that "justice" is for sale. :furious:

Now the defense for Jayson Williams has put Baden on the stand to weave more tales for sale. And they have at least the intent of putting on Cyril Wecht as well! Having lived the biggest part of my life in and around Allegheny county, I know exactly what Cyril Wecht is all about. It would take a book to cover all the cases in which he has made an ass of himself. Yesterday someone in the hearing read a quote from his report in the Williams case that went something like (paraphrased) "The DNA on the gun is not consistent with the gun having been wiped down and an attempt made to put Mr. Cristofi's prints on it." :waitasec: Guess what genius! Fully twelve people, present at the scene, would beg to differ. Even if his statement is scientifically accurate (which is kind of scary considering the number of cases that hinge on DNA with NO eyewitness), it is completely irrelevant since we KNOW that did indeed happen. :banghead:

And since when have forensic pathologists become crime scene specialists? Is anyone going to point out that they are NOT? We know Gus is dead. We know Jayson Williams was the man holding the gun when the blast from it blew a hole in Gus that was not survivable.

What we need to know, and of course the jurors need to know, is whether the gun malfunctioned or the shooter malfunctioned. I can't see any way for Williams to avoid the charges of reckless behavior or obstructing justice. We need to see where the line is drawn between intentionally reckless and just stupidly reckless. We don't need Henry Lee, Michael Baden, or Cyril Wecht to render any bought-and-paid-for opinion to determine that.

[Pepper]

Well said, Babs! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[mommyd]

I guess y'all saw today that Jayson didn't testify?!!!! I think his lawyer spoke a little too soon about that in his opening statement, huh? :loser:

[Newswolf]

Mommyd, I always thought his lawyer was grandstanding about JW going to testify but I had this little teensy open corner of mind that maybe he would. I think over-promising was a tactical error by the defense. Pros. is bringing in a rebuttal witness on the gun so that should be interesting. What a waste of lives.

[joanie10]

Unless I misunderstood, didn't the talking heads on Court TV say they think the Defense is going to go for a mistrial? If it is granted it will have to be done all over again! We know JW did it. It's just a matter of whether he intended to or not. I'm not sure I will watch it a second time. I find the balistics stuff a tad bit boring.

[MysteryMomma]

I think Jayson intentionally killed Gus.......but I think the Prosecuter really screwed up and the Defense may get their mistrial....ugg...This trial is boring.

[Cypros]

We know JW did it. It's just a matter of whether he intended to or not. I'm not sure I will watch it a second time. I find the balistics stuff a tad bit boring.

I've only been watching bits and pieces of this trial on CourtTV when there is nothing else on so forgive me if I have this wrong, but I thought the main emphasis of the prosecution's case was NOT whether he shot Gus or meant to shoot him (it seems pretty clear that he did and that it was probably an accident due to drunken carelessness), but that he and his buddies left the poor man to die on the floor while they ran around trying to COVER UP what had happened and to make it look like Gus had commited suicide. If they had called 911 immediately and at least attempted to admiinister first aid -- apply pressure to stop the bleeding, make sure his airways were cleared, or simply comfort him -- there is the possiblity that Gus would have lived. They were all so busy trying to save their own a$$e$ and had total disregard for this man's life. IMO, all of the people in that room that night are responsible for Gus's death and I hope Jayson Williams get life in prison.

[mindys]

Did you all know that Jayson Williams' wife is going to give birth to a new baby any day. She is over-due. That could make a slight impact.

The trial did get real slow there, but when they were doing the testimony of the people at the house that night it was riveting.

[Pepper]

Did you all know that Jayson Williams' wife is going to give birth to a new baby any day. She is over-due. That could make a slight impact.

The trial did get real slow there, but when they were doing the testimony of the people at the house that night it was riveting.

Just heard that they had a baby girl, born yesterday, named WHIZDOM! :eek:

[MysteryMomma]

Wow, she carried her pregnancy well. It must have been difficult to be pregnant during the trial....ekks

[joanie10]

I was kind of watching some of this today. They are so seldom in court it is difficult to catch them.

It looks like the judge is going to allow the defense to add more testimony because of some goof up on the prosecutions side.

There is no doubt about Jayson's guilt. The trial is about weather he was careless or if it was an accident.

I really don't think Jayson meant to kill Gus.I am leaning toward he was careless. I'm not sure he liked Gus being around. I felt he looked down at Gus because Gus was hired help. (Bit of a snob.)

I think if the they had not tried to cover up,if they had called 911 immediately, if they had all told the truth from the beginning; there would be no trial. That sure is a lot of "ifs" !

[mommyd]

Is anyone as sick of this trial as I am???? I am soooooo ready for this to be OVER!

I'm very glad there wasn't a mistrial declared. I think Jayson is guilty on all counts.

[mindys]

It's in the hands of the Jury, today, final instructions from the judge should be done in moments. I saw part of it earlier, I was surprised when the Judge pointed out to the Jury in his instructions that Jayson was expressing panic Immediately after the shooting according to the witnesses. This Verdict(s) may take a good while.

http://www.courttv.com/trials/jaysonwilliams/042604_ctv.html

[LP Moderator]

I saw part of the closing yesterday - I think he's gonna be convicted.

[mommyd]

I don't see the deliberations taking very long, but I could be wrong! I hope they don't take forever. I'm ready for this one to be done and over!

I thought the Prosecution did a wonderful job in closing arguments.

[LP Moderator]

No stinking verdict yet? What's taking so long????

[mindys]

They are deadlocked on two counts, have reached a verdict on 6. No indication of which one's are giving them problems. The judge sent them back to try again for the two.

[LP Moderator]

They are deadlocked on two counts, have reached a verdict on 6. No indication of which one's are giving them problems. The judge sent them back to try again for the two.


That's the tampering with the witness question. They have to think he's guilty of that one. Thanks for the update Mindys.

[MysteryMomma]

I'm watching on Court TV, the jury took a break and all sat together. Some think this is a good sign.

[Newswolf]

A woman jury was taken out of the jury room escorted by the judge's law clerk, no one knows yet what that means. Laughter from the jury room. Jury sent another note and now Gus's sister and all attorneys are in court. Something is happening.

[mindys]

Something big is happening. All parties in the courtroom, INCLUDING the victim's sister. Here we go! Live

[mindys]

False alarm, judge says he wants a note from them if they think it will be worthwhile to continue deliberating. So they were sent back in to write their note, all the parties are still in the courtroom waiting for this note.

[Newswolf]

That was a big letdown. Judge asked the jury to go back and consider if it's worth them continuing to deliberate and send back a note with their conclusion.

[Newswolf]

LOL Mindys, I'm leaving this up to you!!

[mindys]

LOL Mindys, I'm leaving this up to you!!
No, baby you go for it, I'm juggling real life too, I think real life will win, it always should anyway. The reading of the requested note is coming, you bring it, I think LP is waiting as are the other's who have been checking in.

[Rum Tum Tugger]

The slimy b*stard got away again.

Not guilty on all the top charges!

Essentially a "Free Pass" .. Disgusting!

I'm furious! What a farce!

I don't ever want to hear $ can't buy one's freedom ever again.

And the judge's instructions .... Geesh! Why didn't he just go sit at the defense table!?

Majorly Ticked ...

Rummy

[Newswolf]

Ok Mindys, I missed it but taped it.

Not guilty of aggravated manslaughter
Not guilty possessing weapon (it's a longer charge than that)

hung on reckless manslaughter

guilty of : hindering apprehension, witness tampering, tampering w evidence, fabricating evidence.

TH say he may get less than 1 year in prison

Next hearing May 21

Not clear if will be retried on the hung charges, the most serious

[kentucky_woman]

TH say he may get less than 1 year in prison


99% of the time they get probation, they said.

[Newswolf]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/ny-usjayson0501,0,1675616.story?coll=sfla-entertainment-headlines

"Williams, 36, was found guilty on four of the six lesser charges, related to tampering with evidence and attempting to cover up the shooting.

Collectively, the charges carry a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison. But Williams would probably receive a sentence of less than five years, the maximum for the most serious count. No date was set for sentencing.
"

Thanks KW didn't hear that about probation.

[LP Moderator]

What a freaking joke! :mad:

[joanie10]

I hope the state retries on the charge of Reckless Manslaughter. I don't know how they got hung on that one. My opinion is that he is guilty of that one for sure.

So do you guys think they will retry on the Reckless Manslaughter charge?

[snorky]

Hope so - I am losing faith. I still can't believe this. :furious:

[Newswolf]

Good question Joanie. DA held a news conference afterwards, just saw part of it, he said the case is "still alive". CTV says the jurors were split 8 NG to 4 G on the manslaughter charge. Jurors think it was an accident, one juror told CTV.

[JDB]

What a freaking joke! :mad:

No not a joke. It just goes to show you how a DA can screw up.I tried to catch as much as I could on TV at lunch. And I saw alot of places where the DA case had holes in it.
I think the joke was Benjamin he was out to get Willaims from the get go. And the funny part was a few of the DA witnesses they gave bargains to actually help the defense. Like the three that could not agree if Jaysin said anything to Gus before Gus was shot.
Now that we have seen this. I hope the DA in the Petersons case will not blow it. And in MHO they won't.
And remember Williams was tried in court and judge by a jury of his peers. :angel:

[MysteryMomma]

Justice is for sale in the USA. I will never believe a person who owns guns doesn't know what can happen when you point a loaded rifle at someone. This was no accident, he was showing off and being a bad ass. A man is dead......the rich guy got off.

Billy Martin did a good job for his client. I wonder if his fees will increase. I did like his style even if I disagree with the results.

[sariebell]

I am literally sick to my stomach! I cannot believe that he is basically walking on this murder. What is our justice system coming to???

[mommyd]

I was so disgusted when I watched the verdict today. :furious: I can NOT understand how in the world the jury came to this verdict. The man is so obviously guilty of being reckless with that gun! I wonder how that jury will be able to live with themselves.....Gus sure didn't get justice.

I'm betting that they will retry him on the count that the jury was hung on. I sure hope so anyway. Not that it will do any good. I agree that the more money you have, the more you can get away with in this country. :furious:

[Bobbisbargains]

I hope the state retries on the charge of Reckless Manslaughter. I don't know how they got hung on that one. My opinion is that he is guilty of that one for sure.

So do you guys think they will retry on the Reckless Manslaughter charge?

I'll be really surprised if there is another trial. The vote was 8 innocent and 4 guilty on the charge. From what was said on CTV the county spent a lot of money on this trial, it is a small county and probably won't want to spend the money on another trial especially with the 8-4 vote. I've always believed that it was an accident but was really surprised that he wasn't found guilty of being reckless because he was reckless. With all of those guys in that room any one of them could have gotten shot. It seems that Gaffney and Morris are the only men that the jury wanted to hear again. I thought they were believable and level headed. They all said they discounted Benoit Benjamin right from the beginning. I would agree with that. He was so angry at Jayson W. and it was so obvious. The Pros didn't help their case by holding back evidence until after the Defense rested. If I were on a jury I would really be suspious about that. I think that the jury might have come to different conclusions if they knew JW's history with guns. Not only what he did to his dog which just creeps me out but that he left a practice at one time...walked out to the parking lot and got his gun from his car and shot it right over the head of one of his team members! What the heck! I hope that he isn't allowed to have guns anymore along with whatever else sentence he is given. Scary for someone like that to still be allowed to have guns isn't it?

[txsvicki]

Not meaning to be contrary to everyone else, but I was never convinced that Gus wasn't shot on purpose in some kind of macho rage. I guess money talks

[Babcat]

After his former Nets teamate came forward with his official take on the dog shooting incident... Now I DO wonder if JW shot Gus purposely. Apparently he gets nuts when he drinks too much.

[Pepper]

They all said they discounted Benoit Benjamin right from the beginning. I would agree with that. He was so angry at Jayson W. and it was so obvious.
Can anyone tell me why Benoit Benjamin was angry at Jayson Williams? Did their problem go beyond this case? I missed this during the trial. Thanks.

[mommyd]

I think it just had to do with plain old jealousy! I'm not aware of any other reason, anyway. Does anyone else know?

[Newswolf]

Prosecutors will announce 5/21 if they will retry Williams.

http://courttv.aol.com/trials/jaysonwilliams/052004_ctv.html

"Prosecutors will inform Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman at a special hearing whether they will simply drop the reckless manslaughter charge and proceed with sentencing on the cover-up charges or seek a second trial against Williams."

[Newswolf]

DA is going for retrial on the reckless manslaughter charge.

[snorky]

DA is going for retrial on the reckless manslaughter charge.
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Newswolf]

Snorky don't celebrate too much yet! LOL He is NOT sentenced yet on the charges he was convicted on, and the trial date is now Jan 10 next year so he's free for the 6 plus months. The DA wants to try to introduce prior bad acts at the retrial (shooting his own dog grrr).
(per CTV)

[Bobbisangel]

I think it just had to do with plain old jealousy! I'm not aware of any other reason, anyway. Does anyone else know?

I heard that he had asked Jayson for a job and was turned down and so he was really angry. Boy, his body language spoke louder than his words. You could see anger written all over him.

[mommyd]

Boy, his body language spoke louder than his words. You could see anger written all over him.


You can say that again! I really don't think he did the prosecution any good at all and even hurt the case. I bet they don't use him again this next time.