Kawhi Leonard’s sister sentenced to life for murdering elderly woman

The sister of LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of an elderly women who was found with a cracked skull on the bathroom floor at Pechanga Resort Casino in California in 2019. Leonard’s older sister, Kimesha Williams (pictured left), 39, and Candace Townsell, 42, were sentenced on Friday for the killing of Afaf Assad (pictured right), an 84-year-old woman from Long Beach, per The Press-Enterprise. Both women were convicted of first-degree murder, robbery and elder abuse in February after a monthlong trial. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nba/article-12003051/Kawhi-Leonards-sister-sentenced-life-prison-without-parole-2019-murder.html?ito=msngallery

Deputies from the Southwest Sheriff’s Station said they were called to the four-star hotel and casino in Temecula (pictured) – a two-hour drive south from Los Angeles – at about 8am on August 31, 2019, to find Assad lying unconscious on the bathroom floor. She and her husband of 59 years, Youanness, 93, entered the casino with a purse containing $1,000, according The Press-Enterprise. Assad eventually went to the bathroom, where Williams followed her, while Townsell was on the lookout, at one point blocking a custodian from entering. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nba/article-12003051/Kawhi-Leonards-sister-sentenced-life-prison-without-parole-2019-murder.html?ito=msngallery

No witnesses saw the attack on Assad unfold but a woman in a stall heard a ‘thud’ before Williams eventually left the bathroom and made a ‘beeline’ for the exit with Townsell. Assad died four days later at a local hospital after being admitted with ‘serious injuries.’ Her bright pink purse went missing and was never found, the Press Enterprise reported. Riverside County Senior Deputy District Attorney Marcus Garrett claimed during trial that the purse had been ripped from Assad’s arm, pointing to a ‘deep laceration’ where the strap had been on the elderly woman’s body. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nba/article-12003051/Kawhi-Leonards-sister-sentenced-life-prison-without-parole-2019-murder.html?ito=msngallery

Garrett also contended that Assad had been either pushed or fell. Leonard was not present at his sister’s sentencing on Friday. Prior to Assad’s murder a little less than 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 the Press-Enterprise News. Leonard’s sister was also permanently barred entry from the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon and the Yaamava Casino in Highland after ‘ripping winning tickets’ out of people’s hands, Garrett shared in a court filing. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nba/article-12003051/Kawhi-Leonards-sister-sentenced-life-prison-without-parole-2019-murder.html?ito=msngallery

Leonard – a two-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors – has three sisters other than Williams. His father, Mark Leonard, was shot and killed on January 18, 2008, at the Compton car wash he owned. The five-time NBA All-Star insisted on playing the next evening before breaking down emotionally after the game. His father’s murderer has yet to be found. Leonard, who has two children of his own, is the cousin of NFL wide receiver Stevie Johnson. He and Kobe Bryant shared the same pilot, Ara Zobayan, who also perished in the 2020 crash along with the Lakers superstar, his daughter, Gianna, and six others. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nba/article-12003051/Kawhi-Leonards-sister-sentenced-life-prison-without-parole-2019-murder.html?ito=msngallery

Outside of basketball, Leonard is known to keep a low-profile. He rarely provides interviews and avoids questions about his private life. He’s also previously said that he doesn’t actively consume news media or use social media. This season, the two-time NBA Finals MVP is averaging 23.8 points on 51.2 percent shooting from the field. He scored 69 points total in Games 1 and 2 of the Clippers’ first-round playoff series matchup against the Phoenix Suns, but has missed the last two games with a right knee sprain. The 31-year-old signed a four-year, $176 million contract with the Clippers before the 2021-22 season, which will see him stay in Los Angeles until at least 2024. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nba/article-12003051/Kawhi-Leonards-sister-sentenced-life-prison-without-parole-2019-murder.html?ito=msngallery

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