Ex–Michigan State Star Keith Appling Pleads Guilty to Murder

He faces 18 to 40 years in prison for pleading guilty to the second-degree murder charge on Monday.

Former Michigan State men’s basketball player Keith Appling pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and a felony firearm charge on Monday in connection with a fatal shooting that killed Appling’s relative. 

The plea, which came on the day his trial was set to begin, stems from a May 2021 incident in Detroit, where prosecutors say Appling shot Clyde Edmonds. He faces 18 to 40 years in prison for the murder charge and two years for the firearm charge.

According to prosecutors, Appling and Edmonds got into an argument May 22, 2021, that eventually escalated to Appling shooting Edmonds. The 66-year-old, whose wife is Appling’s mother’s first cousin, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Appling was charged in June 2021. 

Appling’s girlfriend, Natalie Bannister, faced charges for accessory and lying to officers in connection to the shooting. The accessory charge was dismissed, though she is currently serving 1.5 years of probation after pleading guilty to the lying charge in July 2022.

Appling played for Michigan State from 2010 to ’14. He went undrafted in ’14 and played on a few NBA Summer League teams.