Mikey Williams, a Memphis basketball signee, entered a guilty plea Thursday in connection to a shooting that occurred outside his California home earlier this year, according to multiple reports.
Williams, 19, pleaded guilty to two felony counts (making criminal threats, and personal use of a firearm in commission of a crime), according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The latter will be dismissed, while the former will be reduced to a misdemeanor upon sentencing (which is set for Aug. 12, 2024) if Williams completes and adheres to a host of conditions, the paper reports.
As part of his guilty plea, he will need to complete anger management and gun-safety courses, as well as 80 hours of community service, before his sentencing date. Any criminal offense (outside of a minor traffic violation) could invalidate the deal.
“I’ve spoken to Mikey a lot,” attorney Randy Grossman, who joined Williams’ legal team last month, told the Union-Tribune Thursday. “He accepts full responsibility for his actions on that night in March. He was an 18-year-old kid. He felt threatened when a car full (of people) came there. He recognizes the mistakes in judgment he made. He vows for that never to happen again.”
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In a video posted by Overtime on social media Thursday, Williams said he feels good.
“All glory to God,” he said. “I’m just happy I made it out this situation. I’m just excited to get back to the (basketball) court.”
It is unclear whether Williams will join the Memphis basketball team this season. In September, the Memphis athletic department announced Williams would not be permitted to be part of the team as long as his legal issues remained unresolved. In a statement on Sept. 27, the athletic department said it would “assess and determine his status with the team” once the legal process had run its course. The release also stated Williams is enrolled in online classes and would remain on the team’s roster.
“They are still very supportive of Mikey,” Grossman told the Union-Tribune. “They believe in him, so we’ll see . . . I don’t know how they’re going to view this now. On the one hand, you could say the case is still pending because he hasn’t been sentenced. On the other hand, he has pled guilty. Maybe they say pleading guilty to a felony disqualifies him currently, but a misdemeanor they don’t have an issue with.”
Williams’ trial had been set to begin Dec. 14.
Williams was facing nine felony charges stemming from a March 27 shooting. Upon his arrest in April, San Diego County authorities said an argument inside Williams’ home escalated when gunshots were fired toward a car as it was driven away with six people inside. The car was hit, but no one inside was injured.
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Williams pleaded not guilty to all of the initial charges.
Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway has voiced continued support for Williams since his arrest.
Grossman told the Union-Tribune that he and Williams’ legal team worked hard to target a date prior to the University of Memphis’ 2024 fall semester.
“We designed the sentencing date in the middle of August, a couple weeks before classes start (for the 2024 fall semester),” Grossman said. “This year has already kind of gone on, so whatever their position is, I do believe he will be eligible and ready to play for them next time around.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
