Former Los Angeles Laker Javaris Crittenton learned his fate Wednesday after pleading guilty to volunatary manslaughter for his role in the August 2011 death of a mother of four.
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According to Tom Jones of Atlanta based WSB-TV, Crittenton was sentenced to 23 years in prison and apologized to her family:
Javaris Crittenton sentenced to 23 years for murder of a mother of 4. Apologized to her family. #wsbtv
— Tom Jones (@TomJonesWSB) April 29, 2015
Crittenton was set to stand trial for the murder before his guilty plea. Jurors were selected Tuesday with opening statements to take place Wednesday. He was originally arrested days after the incident in Orange County and released on a $230,000 bond.
He was later indicted April 2013 and faced 12 counts. Prosecutors in the case were preparing evidence claiming Crittenton joined a street gang during his first year in the NBA as well as Crittenton’s target was another person, a rival gang member who had robbed him days earlier. The victim in the shooting was just an innocent bystander in the situation.
The Lakers drafted Crittenton with the 19th overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. He spent a year and a half with the team and was sent to the Memphis Grizzlies in the trade that gave the Lakers Pau Gasol. Crittenton then found himself on the Washington Wizards roster after the Grizzlies decided to trade him the following season.
With the Wizards, he was infamously involved in a locker room confrontation with Gilbert Arenas in which the two brought out guns. The incident resulted in season long suspensions for both Crittenton and Arenas. Following his NBA days, Crittenton spent time in China before playing for the Dakota Wizards of the D-League.
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