Former NBA Standout Charged

Former NBA star Jayson Williams surrendered to police Monday and was charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a limousine driver at his sprawling mansion.

The NBC Sports commentator, accompanied by two men, walked through a back entrance into the state police barracks in Kingwood. He didn't comment as he entered or left the building.

Costas Christofi, 55, was found shot to death in the master bedroom at Williams' 65-acre estate in Alexandria Township on Feb. 14. According to the criminal complaint, Williams was the only person near Christofi when the gun went off.

"The death of Mr. Christofi was a tragic accident but it was an accident," said Williams' lawyer, Joseph Hayden. "We are very confident that after a full, fair and thorough exploration of all the facts it will be clear that Mr. Williams is innocent of recklessness and innocent of any criminal conduct."

Acting Hunterdon County Prosecutor Steven Lember said authorities want to interview more witnesses in the case because they don't believe some of them were telling the truth about what happened that night. Christofi's death was initially reported as a suicide, but later ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.

"We are most interested in getting to the truth in this case. Those witnesses should come forward and do the right thing. If they do, they have nothing to be concerned about," Lember said.

Williams was released on $250,000 bail and required to turn over his weapons to police.

Under New Jersey law, manslaughter applies when a death is "committed recklessly." It carries five to 15 years in prison.

Lember told the New York Daily News that his office also was investigating whether Williams allowed Christofi to bleed to death before authorities were notified.

Published reports have said Williams was playfully twirling a shotgun while giving a tour of his 30,000-square-foot home when the weapon fired, hitting Christofi. Hayden has denied there was any horseplay.

Lember would not provide details of the shooting Monday, citing the ongoing investigation.

"Every day we learn more and more on this investigation and we are getting closer to the clear truth," Lember said.

Christofi had been hired to drive Williams' friends from a charity event in Bethlehem, Pa., to Williams' home, about 30 miles northwest of Trenton.

The 6-foot-10 Williams was once among the NBA's best rebounders, but leg injuries ended his basketball career. He retired from the New Jersey Nets in 2000 and now works for NBC Sports as a NBA studio analyst.

NBC Sports Vice President Kevin Sullivan said the network would not comment. NBC sports spokeswoman Cameron Blanchard would not say whether Williams was still scheduled to appear on air when NBC returns to broadcasting NBA games this weekend.

Williams, 34, has freely admitted past mistakes, describing them in a 2000 autobiography as "a lot of beers and barroom brawls and some scrapes with the law and too many fights and sme yelling matches with coaches and a bunch of headlines."

In 1992, he was accused of smashing a beer mug over a patron's head at a Chicago bar. Two years later, he was accused of firing a semiautomatic weapon into the parking lot at the Meadowlands sports complex.

He wrote in his autobiography that he almost shot New York Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet while firing a shotgun on his skeet-shooting range. And Williams faces a hearing this week on a charge that he pushed a police officer last November in a New Jersey bar.