DOCUMENT: Sports, Crime

Friend Will Testify Against Jayson Williams

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Friend Will Testify Against Jayson Williams

A friend of Jayson Williams has agreed to testify against the former NBA star as part of a guilty plea entered today in New Jersey Superior Court. According to this statement from Steven Lember, Hunterdon County's acting prosecutor, John Culuko has pleaded guilty to tampering with both evidence and witnesses in the aftermath of the February shooting death of limousine driver Costas Christofi. Prosecutors allege that Williams, who has been charged with reckless manslaughter, desperately attempted to cover up the accidental shooting with the help of Culuko, 29, and another friend, John Gordnick. As part of Culuko's plea agreement--and his admission to a pretrial intervention program for first-time offenders--he has agreed to "testify truthfully at any trial or hearing of his co-defendants, Jayson Williams and/or John Gordnick." (1 page)