Kimesha Williams: NBA star Kawhi Leonard's sister sentenced to life without parole for 2019 murder of elderly woman
TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA: Kimesha Williams, the sister of Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, got sentenced to life without parole for her role in the 2019 murder of 84-year-old Afaf Assad on Friday, April 21. Another woman, named Candace Townsel, was also given a life sentence for the murder.
According to ESPN, Williams and Townsel robbed and fatally injured Assad in the bathroom of Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula on August 31, 2019. This happened after Assad and her 93-year-old husband, Youanness, arrived at the casino with a purse filled with approximately $1,000 for gambling, reports DailyMail.
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What happened?
When Assad went into the bathroom, Williams apparently followed her while Townsel stayed outside. Just minutes later, a woman present in another bathroom heard a loud thud. Following this, Williams and Townsel were spotted fleeing and Assad was found bleeding on the floor. She suffered a fractured skull and died four days later on September 4, 2019. Both women were found guilty of first-degree murder, robbery, and elder abuse in February 2020 after a month-long trial. And as per DailyMail, Assad's pink purse went missing and was never found.
Kimesha Williams denied killing
However, in a statement on April 21, Williams denied killing Assad. It read, "I am so sorry for your loss. I have been praying for you and your family every day. I am not responsible for the death of Mrs Assad. Although the courts have found me guilty of the charges, we all know the truth, and that there is one judge, and that is God, and that he knows the truth," reports Fox 11.
On the other hand, Mary Assad, the daughter of the woman who died, read a victim-impact statement that stated, "This has been a long, painful journey through the criminal court justice system. I still can’t believe my mother was the victim of a violent crime.... Part of me died in that hospital room with her. My father is without his wife and partner and is isolated and alone in a way we cannot begin to understand. . . . We seek not vengeance but there needs to be a reckoning for their heinous act."
Kimesha Williams' other crimes
As per Fox11, Williams' was banned from coming to the Pechanga Resort Casino in 2015 for stealing a wallet. In addition to this, she was also permanently banned from entering the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon and the Yaamava Casino in Highland after "ripping winning tickets" out of people's hands, states DailyMail.