On their second day of deliberations, after 15 hours of debate, jurors in the manslaughter trial of Jayson Williams returned with a verdict for six of the eight charges against the former NBA star -- but they remained split on the final two.
None of the counts was specified, but Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman sent the panel back to finish its job, saying, "Let me indicate to you that we are going to ask you to continue in your deliberations," the Associated Press reports.
All eight charges stem from the Feb. 14, 2002, fatal shooting of limousine service driver Costas "Gus" Christofi in front of visiting guests at Williams's New Jersey mansion.
The most serious of the charges is aggravated manslaughter, which carries a potential 30-year sentence. Combined with the other charges of reckless manslaughter, assault, a weapons violation and tampering with witnesses, Williams, 36, could face a maximum of 55 years behind bars.
The jury sent five notes to the judge during deliberations, but not one focused on the aggravated manslaughter charge.
Also on Wednesday, jurors requested and received a rereading of testimony regarding Williams's actions and statements immediately following the shooting. Questions also were asked about who allegedly told houseguests to lie to authorities about their location when the shotgun Williams was handling was shot.
Monday's closing statements in the case lasted five hours, with the defense saying that the shooting of Christofi was a tragic accident.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, claim that the reckless behavior of the retired athlete means he should be convicted of aggravated manslaughter and the seven other charges.
Since the trial began on Feb. 10, jurors heard from 43 witnesses. During the summation, the defense attacked the objectivity of the police investigation and the credibility of two key prosecution witnesses. The "gun was never pointed, was not aimed, it was not meant to be directed at Gus Christofi," said defense lawyer Billy Martin. "It's a tragic accident."
Prosecutor Steven C. Lember later countered by saying, "When you play with deadly weapons, 'accident' is no defense." He said Williams was reckless because he had been drinking and chose to handle a loaded weapon in a room with other people around.
Said Lember: "Gus was shot and killed because the defendant was reckless."
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