I honestly hadn't followed this case much. I am not a basketball fan and try to stay away from crime stories. But my dad told me about this one and it sort of struck home.
For those who haven't followed the case Jayson Williams was found guilty of cover up type crimes but the jury hung on the reckless homicide charge. Jayson was drunk and accidently shot Gus at his house after a night of partying. Apparently he felt Gus might be a federal agent of some sort.
Link to picture and great story
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/191521p-165560c.htmlLink to story by Riley of Sports Illustrated sorry need to be subscriber
http://premium.si.cnn.com/pr/subs/siexclusive/rick_reilly/2004/05/18/reilly0524/See, that's the funny thing. Gus Christofi was about as far from suicide that day as a man could be. The day before you blasted him with your shotgun, his sister agreed to cosign a loan for him. Gus was so pumped. He was going to own his first house. At age 55.
Gus's life really didn't begin until about 10 years ago, when he finally beat alcoholism and heroin addiction. He went to a New Jersey rehab center called Freedom House for 18 months and emerged such a changed man that the place hired him as a counselor. Recovering addicts could count on Gus to take the phone call, jump in his beat-up old Plymouth and come over with enough coffee and patience and love to get them through a wicked night.
You should've seen the funeral, Jayson. It was packed. Hundreds of people, many of whom Gus's relatives didn't even know. "I can't even tell you how many people came up to me and said, 'Your uncle saved my life,'" says Anthony Christofi Jr., Gus's nephew. "Or they said, 'Your uncle saved my boy's life.' It was amazing."
Really, life was just about as good as it had ever been for Gus that night. He was sober, reunited with his family and doing great at the limo company. In fact, he was so well-liked there that when the job came up to drive your party from a Globetrotters game to a restaurant, the owner surprised Gus with the trip, seeing as how Gus was such a huge sports fan.
Gus even bought one of those little disposable cameras to take a few pictures. Of course, maybe it wasn't such a Kodak moment when you -- as people later testified -- made fun of Gus, swore at him, called him a "stoolie" and a "fed," and, when Gus got up to leave the restaurant, told him, "Sit back down and get your shine box, kid." Then you said, "I'm only kidding with you, man." Hilarious
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We really haven't heard much about this case. What little I knew about it revolved around the crime and Jayson. Certainly this didn't get the coverage that Nicole and Ron got. Maybe Gus just wasn't beautiful enough. Evidently Gus had had a very rough life. He was homeless for some of his life. Drugs and booze can take you places no sane person would want to go. I can't say I went everywhere Gus went but I can say I got a taste and a taste was enough for me. Maybe more of you knew this mans story than I honestly think did. If so, I both apologize for the post and am truely glad to have been wrong. Somehow I think most people didn't know about Gus' story. He was living one hell of a third act when he got cut down. I hope Jayson gets convicted the second time.