Detroit – A former Michigan State University basketball player will be arraigned Monday in the 2021 murder of a family member.
Keith Appling, 30, was charged in 2021 with the fatal shooting of Clyde Edmonds, the husband of Appling’s maternal uncle. He was charged with first degree murder and three counts of aggravated weapons offenses.
Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor William Lawrence said during Appling’s preliminary hearing in 2021 that Edmonds’ slaying was “in cold blood.” Lawrence said there was no evidence of a fight between Apling and Edmonds, although police initially said Apling may have argued with Edmonds over the gun before the shooting.
Appling’s attorney, Andrew Abboud, said Thursday that “the trial is now set for Monday and we are preparing for the trial.”
During the preliminary examination, Abboud said none of the witnesses testified about seeing Edmonds shoot Apling.
Edmonds was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the front yard of a home in the 13000 block of Whitcomb Street in Detroit at approximately 7:10 p.m. on May 22, 2021, according to police.
Edmonds’ wife, Cassandra, testified during the trial that she saw Apling go to the back of her home when she visited shortly before the shooting.
Stepson Timothy Williams testified that he drove Clyde Edmonds away from Appling after hearing gunshots and wounding stepfather Clyde Edmonds. Williams said Appling apologized to her and told her she loved him.
Appling’s girlfriend, Natalie Brooks Bannister, was sentenced to a year and a half of probation for lying to a police officer. He was originally charged with accessory after the fact and a second count of lying to police, but those were dismissed as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors said he drove Appling from the scene of the shooting.
MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo told The Detroit News in 2021 that he knew Appling was struggling and tried to help him and steer him in the right direction.
“I spent some time with him,” Izzo said of the help he’s provided over the years. “I want to say I hope and pray to God it’s not true. But I don’t know anything other than I was trying to help him get back on track.”
More:A look at Keith Appling’s journey from basketball star to desirable man
Appling, a three-year starter and former captain of the MSU basketball team, has faced multiple criminal charges since leaving the MSU basketball team after playing from 2010-14. He pleaded guilty in late 2020 to drug charges after police found heroin in his car and was sentenced to a year in prison for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and resisting and obstructing police during a 2017 traffic stop.
He faces attempted murder charges in Jackson County in connection with the May 2021 shooting in Jackson. According to the prosecutor’s office, no one was injured in the shooting.
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