Former Michigan State University basketball player Keith Appling pleaded guilty to a 2021 murder and firearm charges. He is facing 18 to 40 years in prison and is set to be sentenced on March 3.
Appling was accused of killing 66-year-old Clyde Edmonds, whose wife is the first cousin of Appling’s mother, during a dispute over a gun in May 2021, CBS Detroit reported. According to prosecutors, Appling fled the scene after shooting Edmonds multiple times.
Appling’s former girlfriend, 30-year-old Natalie Bannister, was likewise sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to lying to a police officer in July 2022
A former star athlete, Appling started 154 games and scored 1,509 points during his four-year career with the Spartans. He played five games in the NBA for the Orlando Magic in 2016.
At the time he was charged, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Appling’s downward spiral was “tragic.”
“It has been clear that this man has been spiraling downward for some time,” Worthy said. “Many of those that tried to intervene with this defendant was hoping that he would get on the right track and stay there. It is always tragic when one with so much promise, talent, and possibility is alleged to have committed the most serious of crimes.”
Past offenses
In July 2017, Appling was sentenced to one year in county jail and four years of probation for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting a police officer. In February 2020, Appling was charged with the delivery or manufacture of 19 grams of heroin in a car he was attempting to sell. In May 2021, Appling was arrested for shooting to death a 66-year-old man in Detroit.
Who is Keith Appling?
The Detroit Pershing prep star played at Michigan State from 2010 to 2014. Appling also played pro basketball overseas and had two brief contracts with the NBA’s Orlando Magic.
He began his collegiate career at Michigan State University in 2010; coaches the selection for second-team All-Big Ten in 2013.
Before becoming famous, he helped Pershing High School win a Michigan state championship during his junior season.
He was named “Mr. Basketball of Michigan” after averaging 28 points per game in his senior season at Pershing High School.
He was raised with six siblings: Kenneth, Keion, Mark, Kyanna, Mareya, and Lateia.