Additional charges

Williams faces tampering, obstructing justice charges

Jayson Williams surrendered to officials at the courthouse Monday and posted $20,000 bail before leaving. AP

FLEMINGTON, N.J. (AP) -- 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 own 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 in prison.

Williams surrendered at the courthouse Monday and posted $20,000 bail before leaving. His attorney, Joseph Hayden, declined to answer questions about the new charges.

"When we have our day in court, we will address all relevant facts and allegations, and we are confident Mr. Williams will be cleared of all charges," Hayden said.

According to court papers, Williams removed the clothing he was wearing when Christofi was shot and gave investigators other clothes. 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 30 miles from Trenton 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, a former NBA player who was waived by the Nets in 1997, was also charged with witness tampering.

Neither Culuko or Gordnick returned calls seeking comment. Both were expected to surrender Monday or be arrested.

Christofi had been hired to drive Williams and his friends home from a Harlem Globetrotters game in Bethlehem, Pa.

Acting prosecutor Steven C. Lember said more than a dozen people were at the estate when the shooting occurred, including two children and four members of the Globetrotters. He did not release their names.

Williams removed his clothes after shooting Christofi and told Culuko to dispose of them, the court documents say. Gordnick took the clothing away but has since turned it over to investigators, the documents say.

Culuko helped Williams to wipe the shotgun clean and also told witnesses to lie to investigators about how the shooting occurred, authorities said.

Williams told guests to tell investigators that everyone in the home had been in a downstairs recreation area when Christofi was shot in a master bedroom upstairs, the court documents said.

"He pretty much convinced everyone there to engage in this behavior -- not just these two," Lember said.

Williams is a former All-Star who retired after a leg injury in 2000. He had been working as an NBC basketball analyst before the shooting. The network has said he will not appear on air until the charges are resolved.

 

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