Jayson Williams, the former NBA star, has reportedly agreed to a guilty plea for a 2002 shooting that left a limo driver dead in Williams' New Jersey mansion. Williams faces up to three years in prison.

Jayson Williams.
Kathy Johnson, Pool/AP Photo

Jayson Williams in court in October.

According to reports, including one in the Newark Star-Ledger, a source who asked not to be identified has said Williams, 41, will plead guilty to an aggravated assault charge on Friday.

The shooting occurred as Williams showed off a shotgun to visitors in the bedroom of his home at the time. The gun discharged and fatally wounded the driver, 55 year old Costas Christofi.

In an earlier trial Williams was acquitted on aggravated manslaughter charges. But the jury found him guilty of trying to hide his role in the shooting after witnesses said the former Philadelphia 76ers and NJ Nets player placed the weapon in the wounded Christofi's hands and asked them to lie about the circumstances. The jury deadlocked on a reckless manslaughter charge.

 

Williams faced a retrial on the reckless manslaughter charge. The reported guilty plea on aggravated assault would come after the Hunterdon County prosecutor handed off the prosecution of the case to the state attorney general's office.

The former pro basketball player had tried to get a judge to dismiss the reckless manslaughter case after defense lawyers learned that an investigator had reportedly used a racial slur in referring to Williams. But a judge refused to dismiss the charge.