04/18/24
February 05, 2004
Tough to believe, but Jayson Williams is a worse person than you thought he was.
posted by vito90 to basketball at 08:18 AM - 11 comments
Could someone explain to me WHY these are inadmissible? I don't speak legalese.
posted by wfrazerjr at 08:43 AM on February 05, 2004
YEESH. I think Jayson took the morality of Scarface a little too much to heart.
posted by Justin Slotman at 08:46 AM on February 05, 2004
fraze: "Errickson argued that the defense's "mantra" since the day of the shooting of limousine driver Costas "Gus" Christofi, 55, of Washington, Warren County, two years ago has been that the death was a "tragic accident." Errickson said the prior acts help prove the state's position that the death of Christofi was the result of "preventable, avoidable, reckless conduct." Because of its potentially inflammatory nature, there are several tests such evidence must pass to be admissible. But Coleman found, among other things, that the value of the evidence toward proving the state's case was outweighed by the prejudicial nature of the acts. He also found the acts dissimilar enough -- the shooting of the dog was intentional, the shooting of the limo driver unintentional -- to reject the state's application to present it to jurors."
posted by vito90 at 08:48 AM on February 05, 2004
I could see right through his act while on tv a few weeks ago on 20/20. I hope he goes away for a long time.
posted by jasonspaceman at 08:54 AM on February 05, 2004
Personally, I think its hogwash that these incidents are inadmissible. This judgment is in error because of the common underlying theme: a pattern of reckless firearm use. I don't know the fundamentals to challenge the judge's thinking, but if a dangerous pattern of behaviour can be established in an 'accidental' shooting case, it goes to prove it may not have been accidental in the first place. Also, the judge shouldn't be making decisions based on the defense's argument, because it appears the 'accident' aspect has already been decided upon.
posted by garfield at 08:54 AM on February 05, 2004
I read that, vito. What I'm asking is what are those tests of admissibility, and why do they rule someone shooting a dog, pointing a gun at another person and firing at hubcaps in a parking lot as not germane to the case? What the hell is? And how the hell do they know the shooting of the driver actually was an accident? Wouldn't this all make it sound like less of an accident?
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:09 AM on February 05, 2004
On a lighter note, who ever thought they'd see Dwayne Schintzius in the news again? I wonder what he's doing nowadays.. any idea?
posted by blarp at 09:23 AM on February 05, 2004
Following up on wfrazer's questions, can anyone explain the "prejudicial" in this statement: the value of the evidence toward proving the state's case was outweighed by the prejudicial nature of the acts. Thanks for the link, vito.
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:36 AM on February 05, 2004
I always like Williams before the Christofi shooting incident. He seemed humble and grateful for his career in the NBA; he gave off the impression that he had escaped a tough environment and understood how lucky he was. I remember him doing a joyful cabbage-patch dance after it was announced that he made his first all-star team. As more of this stuff comes out, it just shows how little you're able to tell with any certainty about a famous person from the little we see of them in interviews.
posted by jeffmshaw at 10:41 AM on February 05, 2004
I think that whole idea of inflammatory and prejudicial is a bunch of crap. The jury needs to determine if someone is guilty of the crime and if that person has a habit of pointing or shooting his gun at people and animals, that fact is relevant to the case. You a bad MoFo, you ought to go down. Which is not to say that defendents have no rights or police should be able to torture confessions out of them but that in some ways our system goes a bit far in "being fair." Because sure enough Williams was not "fair" to that limo driver.
posted by billsaysthis at 05:21 PM on February 05, 2004
He shot the hubcap of a security officer's vehicle in the Meadowlands' parking lot, as well. But neither of these incidents are admissible.