The sister of a star NBA player has been handed a life sentence in prison for murdering an elderly woman.
Kimesha Williams - the sister of Clippers player Kawhi Leonard - was just given a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole for killing an elderly woman.
Williams, 39, was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, and elder abuse in February this year, with a judge handing down her sentence on Friday this week (April 21).
Another woman - 42-year-old Candace Townsell - received the same conviction and sentence for the murder, which occurred in 2019.
San Francisco daily newspaper The Mercury News reported that Williams and Townsell followed Afaf Assad, 84, into a bathroom at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California. Williams went into the bathroom first while Townsell remained outside to play lookout - even going as far as to prevent a custodian from entering the bathroom.
Assad had in her possession a purse that contained about $1,000 in cash for gambling. She was eventually found with her skull fractured and her head bleeding. Her purse was missing. Assad died four days later. While there were no witnesses to the incident, a woman who was in another stall in the bathroom heard a loud thud and claimed that she saw both Williams and Townsell running to the casino's exit.
Assad's daughter Mary said in a victim impact statement (via The New York Post): "This has been a long, painful journey through the criminal court justice system. I still can't believe my mother was the victim of a violent crime. … Part of me died in that hospital room with her. My father is without his wife and partner and is isolated and alone in a way we cannot begin to understand … We seek not vengeance but there needs to be a reckoning for their heinous act."
However, Williams claimed that she did not kill anyone in a statement read to the court by her attorney. "I am so sorry for your loss. I have been praying for you and your family every day. I am not responsible for the death of Mrs. Assad. Although the courts have found me guilty of the charges, we all know the truth, and that there is one judge, and that is God, and that he knows the truth."
Despite maintaining her innocence, Williams does have a lengthy criminal record relating to theft, as well as Townsell. Williams' aunt Denise Woodard confirmed in 2019 that Williams' brother is Kawhi Leonard, however, he has actively tried to distance himself from her.
