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Former Michigan State Basketball Star Keith Appling Pleads Guilty To Murdering Family Member

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Paul Aubert Contributor
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A former NCAA basketball star pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges Monday after fatally shooting a family member in 2021.

Keith Appling, a former Michigan State basketball star, plead guilty to one count of second-degree murder and felony firearm ahead of his trial, WXYZ reported.

Wayne County prosecutors say Appling got into an argument with his mother’s cousin’s husband, Clyde Edmonds, at a Detroit residence in May 2021.

A struggle over a handgun ended with Appling shooting the 66-year-old Edmonds multiple times and fleeing the scene, prosecutors claim.

Police found Edmonds dead in the yard of the residence.

Natalie Bannister, Appling’s girlfriend, helped drive him away from the scene and lied to police about the shooting. Bannister pled guilty to one count of lying to a police officer last year and was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

Appling is facing 18-40 years in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 3.

Appling, 31, was once a promising basketball star. After playing four years at Michigan State during 2010-2014, Appling played professional basketball overseas and had a few brief stints with NBA teams. (RELATED: Turkey Reportedly Puts $500,000 Bounty On Head Of Outspoken Ex-NBA Star Enes Kanter Freedom)

The former athlete had several run-ins with the law before murdering Edmonds. In May 2016, Appling was arrested after bringing a loaded rifle into a Michigan strip club. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and resisting an officer and was sentenced to a year in prison, according to the Detroit Free Press. In 2020, he was charged with dealing heroin, ESPN reported.