Jayson Williams, the retired former NBA All-Star, was sentenced to five years in prison today (February 23) for the fatal shooting of Costas Christofi, his limo driver.
At the sentencing a bawling Williams (no pun intended) apologized to the victim's family and also told his own, "You deserve a better father, son, brother than I have been." Obviously.

Willams' sentencing concludes an eight-year saga that began when he accidentally shot Christofi with a shotgun at close range on Feburary, 2002 in his New Jersey home. At his original trial in 2004, Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter while he was convicted of covering up the shooting. However, the reckless manslaughter count resulted in a hung jury. With a retrial imminent-great use of tax dollars, really-Williams plead guilty to reckless manslaughter last month.

It is tough to feel sorry for Williams since it doesn't take an avid Law & Order or CSI fan tell you that hiding the fact that you killed someone is destined to fail. But considering the snail's pace that the inevitable unfolded--the original crime took place eight years ago, Williams paid a settlement of 2.75 million to the victim's family in 2003, and not to mention allegedly racist detectives--conspiracy theorists will say it is just another case of the justice system's vendetta on Black men.

Black or white, Williams is bi-racial, the real loser here is Costas Christofi. Williams will be eligible for parole after 18 months.

At sentencing Jayson Williams apologizes to Christofi family