Jayson Williams Not Quite Famous Enough To Get Away With Killing Someone

JERSEY CITY, NJ--Things are looking bleak for Jayson Williams. The ex-NBA star is dangerously close to being convicted of manslaughter, as damning evidence and testimony pours in from all sides. Several witnesses have reported seeing Williams shoot and kill limo driver Costas “Gus” Christofi, then try to pass it off as a suicide. What’s worse is that he’s not quite famous enough to get away with something as serious as killing someone.

“I know he played in the NBA and was a pretty productive player, but this guy’s no OJ Simpson. He’s not even a Ray Lewis,” said legal analyst Roger Cossack. “It’s very, very unlikely that his star power will carry him to an acquittal as it did for Simpson and Lewis, and will probably do for Kobe Bryant. I mean, only two jurors so far have asked him for his autograph. And that was before they saw the crime scene footage. Now they won’t even look at the guy.”

Greta Van Susteran, CNN legal expert, agreed with Cossack’s assessment. She said that a defendant must be a “household name” in order to get away with something like accidentally shooting a man and attempting to cover it up.

“This guy has no chance. Who does he think he is? Sure he’s rich, but that’s not enough. People respond to celebrity much more than money. The sad fact is that Jayson Williams just didn’t have the numbers to go out and kill someone. He only averaged 8.1 points a game for his career. 8.1? Please. Don’t make me laugh. Yes, he was a big rebounder, but rebounds don’t translate into immunity from manslaughter.”

The murder of Gus Christofi occurred on February 12, 2002 at Williams mansion in New Jersey. According to witnesses, Williams, a gun enthusiast, was showing off a rifle to houseguests when Christofi entered the room unannounced. Williams accidentally fired the gun and hit the limo driver in the chest, killing him instantly. Afterwards, witnesses reported a frantic Williams wiping prints off the gun and exhorting his friends to “say it was suicide.”

“The guy would’ve been better off just coming clean and saying what really happened,” said Cossack, who also worked on the OJ Simpson case. “He got into real trouble when he attempted the cover up. Sounds like something an athlete would do. I should know, I worked on the OJ Simpson case. I made a whole career out of it. And I’m telling you, this guy is screwed. I bet if he could do it all over again, he’d concentrate a little more on scoring points and a little less on grabbing rebounds.”

While most observers believe Williams doesn’t have the star power to escape a conviction, the defense is pinning its hopes on just that. The latest defense strategy is to imply that the arresting officer was “out to get” Williams because of his fame and fortune. The strategy worked brilliantly with the Simpson case, but Williams defense team may have a difficult time selling it.

“It’s insane to think I would single the man out because of his fame and fortune. I would never do that,” said Lieutenant Daniel James, an investigator with the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’Office.“Actually, I would, but the person would have to be famous first. Frankly, I didn’t even know who the guy was, until someone told me he used to play for the Nets. He was a great rebounder or something. It sort of rang a bell, but believe me, if I’m going to jeopardize my career by falsely accusing someone of a crime, it’s going to be someone famous, like Kevin Garnett. Anybody know where he lives?”

He added: “They say this would be the biggest case of my 30-year career, but that’s a load of bunk. Just last week I arrested that Dell Computer kid for pot possession. Now, that’s a celebrity.”

Van Susteran believes that the latest defense move is a sign of desperation.

“When I heard they were going down that road, I knew things were going badly for them. To suggest something so absurd is an insult to the jury and the judge. I’m surprised the judge didn’t hold him in contempt for that. I’m sorry, but this guy’s going to jail. If he's not guilty, I’m not a freakish publicity whore.”

Harriet Ryan, Court TV reporter, poured through legal journals to find precedent for the Williams trial. Her findings affirm the beliefs of Van Susteran, Cossack and many others.

“Well, there was People vs. OJ and we all know how that turned out,” said Ryan during a segment of Court TV’s The Take. “Then there was Ray Lewis, and he was acquitted, too. Then you look at someone like Rae Carruth, whose situation is somewhat similar to Mr. Williams. He’s a guy who was a marginal football player and he went out and killed his girlfriend. There was never any question of whether his fame would get him off. Everyone knew he was guilty and that was that. Statistics show that the less famous you are, the more careful you should be when killing someone. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that you shouldn’t kill people at all if you're not famous.”

As for Williams, he is still clinging to the hope that his semi-celebrity status will get him out of one more jam.

“Did you know what a great rebounder I was for the Nets?” asked Williams, during an emotional interview with ESPN’s Dan Patrick. “My God, when I boxed out, you couldn’t get within three feet of that rim. I could score points, too. Not a lot, but if my team needed it, I could put the rock in the hole. Oh, and I had a storied career as an NBA analyst on NBC. How many people can say that? So lets sum up: Great rebounder, great scorer, great color commentator. All that, and your telling me I can’t beat a measly manslaughter rap? Well I’m sorry to disagree, but I have a little more faith in our justice system than that.”