Sister of Clippers Star Kawhi Leonard Sentenced for Murder

Kimesha Williams and her friend Candace Townsell were convicted in February of multiple charges for the murder of 84-year-old Afaf Anis Assad.

Kimesha Williams, the sister of Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, was sentenced to life in prison this week for her role in the 2019 murder of an elderly woman in a casino bathroom in Temecula, Calif.

Williams, 39, and her friend Candace Townsell, 42, were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on Friday two months after being convicted of multiple charges for the murder of 84-year-old Afaf Anis Assad. The two women were found guilty of first-degree murder, robbery and elder abuse in February following a one-month trial in Riverside County Superior Court.

The decision capped a tragic saga that began on Aug. 31, 2019, when Assad was found unconscious with a skull fracture and bleeding from her head in a bathroom at the Pechanga Resort Casino. According to reports, the pair viciously attacked the woman and stole her purse which contained $1,000 after Williams followed Assad into the bathroom, where Townsell joined them moments later after keeping watch. Assad died from her injuries a few days later; Williams and Townsell fled the scene but were arrested and held without bail the following month.

On Friday, Williams, who has previous convictions that include grand theft and attempted robbery, shared a statement via her attorney to the Assad family expressing her sorrow for their loss and declaring she did not kill anyone. 

“I am so sorry for your loss,” the statement began, per The Press-Enterprise. “I have been praying for you and your family every day. I am not responsible for the death of Mrs. Assad. Although the courts have found me guilty of the charges, we all know the truth, and that there is one judge, and that is God, and that He knows the truth.”

As of Saturday, neither Leonard nor his family have issued a statement on the matter.