The mystery deepened over the fatal shooting at the palatial New Jersey home of former Nets star Jayson Williams yesterday as new theories emerged suggesting the athlete-turned-broadcaster may have been the triggerman.
Prosecutors said they have no reason to believe anyone intended to shoot limo driver Costas “Gus” Christofi, 55, who was hired by Williams for the night, on Thursday.
New reports said the gun went off while Williams was twirling the 12-gauge shotgun in his house in Alexandria Township, N.J. Acting Hunterdon County prosecutor Stephen Lember refused to confirm those reports.
But he stood by earlier statements that the gun went off accidentally as it was being shown to guests.
“That’s a plausible theory,” he said.
The shooting occurred in Williams’ bedroom just as Christofi and 10 guests were being given a tour of his 40-room, 30,000-square-foot mansion, which includes eight bedrooms.
Christofi, a former drug addict, was shot once in the chest.
Williams’ lawyer, Joe Hayden, said his client had nothing to do with the shooting. “I am confident that after the investigation, it will become clear there is no evidence of purposeful or reckless misconduct on the part of Jayson Williams.”
Williams, 33, who has been in trouble in the past over reckless firearm use, keeps a gun collection in a glass case in one of the bedrooms. Police said several of the shotguns found there were loaded.
Meanwhile, the revelation yesterday that Williams likes to show off his aim at his outdoor skeet-shooting range while guzzling beers could shed light on what may have happened.
“For a guy who drinks a bottle of Bud in one hand and shoots at a target and hits it with the other, I think he’s a good shot,” former boxing heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, a close friend of Williams, told the Express-Times of Easton, Pa.
Williams hired Christofi to take him and his guests to the Mountain View Chalet in Union Township after a Harlem Globetrotters game at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
After dinner, Christofi took the group to Williams’ 65-acre estate, which includes basketball courts and a pool.
Additional reporting by Andy Geller
Jayson Williams’s previous brushes with the law:
* Jan. 12, 1992 – Williams hit a man in a Chicago bar with a beer mug after the guy approached his then-Philadelphia 76ers teammate Charles Barkley claiming to have a knife. The charges were eventually dropped.
* Jan. 15, 1994 – Williams was arrested on weapons charges after someone fired Williams’ handgun at a parked security truck outside the Continental Airlines Arena. He avoided going to jail when he was ordered to do an ad campaign warning kids about guns.
* Nov. 22, 2001 – Williams shoved a police officer twice in a parking lot outside a New Jersey restaurant after witnesses claimed he was drunk and slapping customers inside the bar and grill. Williams was fined $48 for disorderly conduct.
Here is a timeline of what happened the night limo driver Costas “Gus” Christofi was shot in Jayson Williams’ bedroom.
Wednesday, Feb. 13:
* 7:30 p.m.- Williams and several friends attend a Harlem Globetrotters basketball game at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
* 10 p.m. – After the game, Williams is joined by four Globetrotters, who go to the Mountain View Chalet in Union Township – one of his favorite hangouts – for a three-hour dinner.
Thursday, Feb. 14:
* 1 a.m. – Williams and his 10 guests are ferried back to the former Nets star home by Christofi.
* 2:30 a.m. – Williams and his guests, including Christofi, are given a tour of the ex-NBA All-Star’s 40-room, 30,000-square foot mansion.
* 2:54 a.m. – Williams’ adoptive brother, Victor Santiago, calls 911, saying someone was shot in the chest.
* 3:28 a.m. – Christofi dies from a gunshot to the chest.
– compiled by Clemente Lisi