Parts of 911 Call Not Admissible

The judge in the manslaughter trial of former basketball player Jayson Williams has ruled that portions of a 911 call reporting the shooting are not admissible since the conversation went beyond what was required to report the incident. Using a previous U.S. Supreme Court decision as precedent, Judge Edward Coleman said that during Williams’ re-trial on the charge, sections of the logging tape of the 911 that pertained to a possible cover-up of the crime, or speculation that the victim had shot himself would not be played for the jury. Williams admits that a shotgun he was holding discharged, striking and killing the victim. But Williams claims it was an accident while handling the gun at his house in New Jersey, and then he panicked after the incident.