St. John’s alum Jayson Williams (above), found guilty of attempting cover up the circumstances surrounding the 2002 shooting death of limousine driver Costas “Gus” Christofi, is clinging to hope an alleged racist remark might impact the case. From The Newark Star-Ledger’s Jennifer Golson :
The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office and Jayson Williams’ lawyers over whether information about a racial slur an officer used to describe the ex-New Jersey Net should become part of his upcoming retrial for reckless manslaughter.
Since last December, the prosecution has been fighting to keep the information sealed. The incident occurred in 2002, when the investigator used the epithet to describe Williams during a meeting within the prosecutor’s office.
The prosecution insists the man, who no longer works for the office, was not an integral part of the investigation. He did not testify in the first trial in 2004 and won’t be called as a witness at the next. Prosecutor J. Patrick Barnes brought the incident to Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman’s attention last year, as the state was preparing to retry Williams for reckless manslaughter. Coleman issued an order in December, requiring the state to disclose the identity of individuals who were present during the meeting and all notes and documents relating to the issues discussed during the 2002 meeting.