Keith Damon Appling: Ex-Michigan State University basketball star pleads guilty in Clyde Edmonds, 66, killing case
DETROIT, MICHIGAN: In the fatal shooting of a Detroit man in 2021, a former basketball star for Michigan State University entered a guilty plea on Monday, February 14 to second-degree murder and a firearms felony. Keith Damon Appling, 31, pled guilty in Wayne County Circuit Court to one count each of second-degree murder and felony weapon use in the death of Clyde Edmonds, 66.
It was reportedly announced by the Wayne County Circuit Court prosecutor Kym Worthy. On the day his trial in the killing of Edmonds was scheduled to start, Appling entered a guilty plea to the charges.
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What exactly happened during the incident?
Appling was charged with Edmonds' murder in June 2021. At the time the Wayne County prosecutor’s office said. “It is alleged that on May 22, 2021, Appling had an argument with Edmonds over a handgun, and he fatally shot the victim multiple times before he fled the scene,” as per an AP report.
Edmonds was pronounced dead at a hospital. His wife and Appling's mother are first cousins, authorities said. For the second-degree murder charge against Appling, the plea agreement asks for 18 to 40 years in jail, and for the firearm charge a two-year sentence to be served concurrently. The remaining charges against Appling, including first-degree murder, felony firearm possession, and a second count of felony firearm, will be dropped at his sentencing hearing on March 3, according to a news release from Worthy.
According to prosecutors, Natalie Bannister drove Appling away from the crime scene, according to The Detroit News.
She was given 18 months of probation after entering a guilty plea to one count of lying to a police officer last year. A felony of accessory after the fact and a second count of lying to police were dropped as part of Bannister's plea deal.
Keith Damon Played with NBA'S Orlando Magic
Appling was a star player at John J Pershing High School in Detroit before playing for MSU from 2010 to 2014. He also played basketball overseas and had two brief contracts with the NBA’s Orlando Magic as per ClickonDetroit. In 2020, Appling was placed on probation in a drug case. Notably, his record also includes a jail sentence for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting police.