Sister of NBA Superstar Sentenced to Life Without Parole: Report
The sister of Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with another woman.
The two women are Candace Townsell and Kimesha Williams, according to Fox News. Williams is the sister of Leonard.
Townsell and Williams were convicted of robbing and killing an elderly woman in a casino bathroom in 2019. They were sentenced on Friday.
The crime in question saw Williams and Townsell follow 84-year-old Afaf Assad into a bathroom at a casino in Riverside, California.
Assad was ultimately found unconscious on the bathroom floor with a cracked skull.
Fox, citing The Press-Enterprise, reported that Assad and her husband arrived at the casino on Aug. 31, 2019, with a purse containing about $1,000 to gamble.
When Assad went to the bathroom, Williams reportedly tailed her while Townsell kept a lookout.
Another woman in the bathroom heard a thud before Williams and Townsell bolted.
Assad was found “with her head bleeding and her skull fractured,” Fox reported. She died four days after the incident, and her purse was never found.
Williams’ attorney read a statement to the court on her behalf, still denying any wrongdoing.
“I am so sorry for your loss,” Williams wrote. “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.”
Williams had already run afoul of the casino, as she was banned from the premises following a 2015 wallet theft.
Assad’s daughter Mary read a statement to the court as well.
“This has been a long, painful journey through the criminal court justice system,” Mary Assad said. “I still can’t believe my mother was the victim of a violent crime.”
Mary Assad added, “We seek not vengeance but there needs to be a reckoning for their heinous act.”
Williams’ sentencing comes at an awful time for Leonard, whose Clippers are currently down 3-1 in a first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns. Leonard has missed two straight games in the series due to a sprained knee.
He has not publicly acknowledged his sister’s conviction or sentencing.
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