Ex-NBA player gets 23 years in prison as he pleads guilty to killing 22-year-old mother of four in drive-by shooting
- Former Washington Wizards player Javaris Crittenton pleaded guilty on Wednesday in the 2011 death of a 22-year-old Atlanta mother of four
- Crittenton, 27, admitted he fired an automatic rifle in a drive-by shooting but said he never meant to kill Julian Jones
- Crittenton pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm
- Former first-round NBA draft pick played two seasons and earned an estimated $4.1million
Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton pleaded guilty on Wednesday in the 2011 death of a 22-year-old Atlanta mother.
Crittenton, 27, admitted he fired an automatic rifle in a drive-by shooting but said he never meant to kill anyone.
He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped a murder charge and a judge sentenced Crittenton to 23 years in prison and 17 years of probation.
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Courtroom: Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton pleaded guilty on Wednesday in the 2011 death of an Atlanta mother
Statement: Sobbing, Crittenton claimed he intended only to scare someone and was heartbroken to learn he had killed 22-year-old Julian Jones
Victim: The mother of slain Julian Jones (pictured), June Woods, cried in court Wednesday as she described the pain of losing her only daughter
Legal issues: Crittenton (right) also was one of two Wizards players to pull out guns in a locker room incident and would go on to plead guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge (file photo)
Opening statements had been expected on Wednesday in the murder case against Crittenton and his cousin, Douglas Gamble, who were accused of gunning down Julian Jones, 22, a mother of four, in August 2011.
Crittenton, a point guard who played two seasons in the NBA after being drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007, said he took the plea deal because it was 'time to be a man.'
He earned an estimated $4.1million during his short NBA tenure.
Sobbing, he claimed he intended only to scare someone and was heartbroken to learn he had killed Jones. Prosecutors said the shooting was gang-related and retaliation against a person Crittenton believed had robbed him.
'I apologize from the depths of my heart,' Crittenton said. 'I'm not a murderer. I made a mistake, one that I wish I could take back.'
Judge Shawn Ellen LaGrua angrily interrupted Crittenton and chastised him for calling the shooting an accident.
Pleas: Crittenton pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm in court on Wednesday
Athlete: Crittenton was a member of the Lakers, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards, playing in 113 games and averaging 5.3 points
Anger: Jones' aunt was also in the courtroom Wednesday, and told Crittenton 'You were selfish. You didn't think about nobody, but yourself that day'
Crittenton and Gamble both admitted in court that Gamble drove a rented black Tahoe SUV while Crittenton fired an automatic rifle at least three times from the back seat.
Jones’ mother, June Woods, cried as she described the pain of losing her only daughter.
'My daughter was robbed of her life,' Woods said. 'The only way her children will know their mom now is through stories and pictures.'
Per WSB-TV, Jones' aunt was also in the courtroom Wednesday, and told Crittenton 'You were selfish. You didn't think about nobody, but yourself that day.'
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Crittenton, who hung his head through much of the hearing, turned once to the family and said, 'I'm sorry.'
Prosecutors said Crittenton sports a Crips gang tattoo on his belly but he denied being a member, saying he only hung out with members of the gang socially in Los Angeles.
Crittenton was a member of the Lakers, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards, playing in 113 games and averaging 5.3 points.
Crittenton also was one of two Wizards players to pull out guns in a locker room incident and would go on to plead guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge, the New York Daily News pointed out.
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