NBA star Kawhi Leonard’s sister has been sentenced for the murder of an elderly woman who fractured her skull in a casino bathroom in California in 2019.
- Kimisha Williams has been charged with murder, robbery, and elder abuse in the first degree
- She was involved in the murder of Afaf Asaad, 84, of Long Beach, California
- DailyMail.com provides the latest global sports news
The sister of the LA Clippers star, Kawhi Leonard, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of an elderly woman who was found with a cracked skull on the bathroom floor of the Pechanga Resort Casino in California in 2019.
Leonard’s older sister Kimesha Williams, 35, and Candace Townsell were sentenced Friday to the murder of Afaf Asaad, an 84-year-old woman from Long Beach. Press establishment.
Both women were convicted of first-degree murder, robbery and elder abuse in February after a month-long trial.
There is no indication that Williams’ brother, who is considered one of the best two-way players in the NBA, is in any way involved with the offense. Leonard, 31, signed a four-year, $176 million contract extension with the Clippers ahead of the 2021-22 season, which will keep him in Los Angeles until at least 2024.
Deputies from Southwest Sheriff’s Station said they called to a 4-star hotel and casino in Temecula — a two-hour drive south from Los Angeles — at about 8 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2019, to find the lion unconscious on the bathroom floor.
Clippers sister Kimesha Williams, Kawhi Leonard, of Moreno Valley, California, was sentenced to life without early parole for the murder and robbery of Afaf Asaad, 84, at Pechanga Resort Casino in California on August 31, 2019.
Afaf Asaad, 84, of Long Beach, was found unconscious in a casino bathroom after her skull was fractured. Almost $1,000 she was gambling with her 93-year-old husband Youanness was stolen
Williams is one of the four Leonard sisters. The 31-year-old Clippers striker was not involved in the killing in any way
She and her 59-year-old husband, Youanness, 93, entered the casino with a wallet containing $1,000, according to The Press-Enterprise. The lion eventually went to the bathroom, where Williams followed, while Townsell watched, at one point preventing the guardian from entering.
No witnesses watched the attack on the lion unfold, but a woman in a booth heard a noise before Williams eventually left the bathroom and took a “bee line” to walk out with Townsell.
Assad died four days later in a local hospital after being seriously wounded.
Her bright pink purse went missing and has not been found, the Press Enterprise reports. Riverside County First Deputy District Attorney Marcus Garrett claimed during the trial that the wallet had been ripped from the lion’s arm, citing a “deep tear” where the tape was on the elderly woman’s body.
Jarrett also confirmed that the lion was either pushed or fell. Leonard did not attend his sister’s trial on Friday.
Before the lion was killed just under four years ago, Williams and Townsell were well known to officials at the Pechanga Resort and other Inland Empire casinos.
In 2015, Williams was permanently banned from Pechanga after stealing someone’s wallet, a casino official told Press-Enterprise News. Leonard’s sister was also denied entry from Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon and Yaamava Casino in Highland after ‘ripping winning tickets’ from people’s hands Garrett also participated in the court filing.
