Ex-MSU star pleads guilty in 2021 murder case

DETROIT– A previous Michigan State University basketball star pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and a gun charge in the fatal 2021 shooting of a Detroit man.Keith Damon Appling, 31, pleaded guilty in Wayne County Circuit Court to one count each of second-degree murder and felony firearm in the killing of Clyde Edmonds, 66, district attorney Kym Worthy said.Appling pleaded guilty to the charges on the exact same day his trial in Edmonds’ death was set to begin.The Detroit Pershing prep star dipped into Michigan State from 2010 to 2014. Appling also played pro basketball overseas and had two quick agreements with the NBA’s Orlando Magic.He was charged in Edmonds’killing in June 2021. District attorneys said Appling fatally shot Edmonds on Might 22, 2021, after the males argued over a handgun. Edmonds was noticable dead at a health center. His better half and Appling’s mom are first cousins, authorities said.Appling’s plea agreement requires 18 to 40 years in prison on

the second-degree murder charge and 2 years to be served consecutively on the firearm charge. The remaining charges Appling faced– first-degree murder, felony in belongings of a firearm and a second count of felony gun– will be dismissed at his sentencing hearing, which is set for March 3, Worthy stated in a news release.Prosecutors stated Appling’s sweetheart, Natalie Bannister, drove Appling from the shooting scene,

according to a report from The Detroit News.She pleaded guilty last year to one count of lying to a law enforcement officer and was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

A charge of device after the fact and a 2nd count of lying to authorities were dropped under Bannister’s plea arrangement.