Looking from a distance, NBA players’ life just seems perfect. Money. Fame. Passion. They have it all. But amid the fancy cars and bright lights, fans often tend to forget that these athletes are normal human beings just like everyone else. However, there are instances when everyone gets a brutal reminder of this reality. And something similar happened last year when Kawhi Leonard’s older sister Kimesha Williams was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of an elderly woman.

Surely, many of you would be wondering how a multi-millionaire NBA superstar’s relative ended up in prison. So, here’s the answer.

From father’s unfortunate death to murdering a woman for $1000

Born to parents Kim Robertson and Mark Leonard, Kawhi was the youngest among five siblings and the only boy. Well, one of his older sisters was Kimesha, which was confirmed by their aunt following the murder she committed. To put food on the table for his family, their dad worked at a self-owned car wash company in Compton. But that same car wash turned the family’s life upside down when in 2008, Mark was shot multiple times and killed while getting off work. And the murder took place right in front of his then-wife Jacquelyne Leonard, who revealed that the incident occurred following a heated dispute between Mark and his friend along with some other people.

Hours after everyone left, a hooded figure entered the car wash as Jacquelyne revealed, “When I went to say ‘Who the heck is that?’ he started shooting.” Well, Kawhi was just a teenager back then and Kimesha was a few years older. But their father’s demise surely changed their perspective on life as The Klaw even said in an interview, “As I got older, I pretty much really stopped thinking about it, but I think it just gave me a sense of feel that life and basketball are two different things. And you know, just really enjoy, enjoy your time and moments.” Surprisingly enough, Kawhi even played a game against Dominguez the night after his father was killed. As expected, he was still grieving from the tragic loss, “Basketball is my life, and I wanted to go out there and take my mind off it. It was real sad. My father was supposed to be at the game.”

While Kawhi was able to transform his life with an incredible career in the NBA, his sister’s life took a dark turn. It was five years ago that an 84-year-old woman named Afaf Assad was found fatally injured in the bathroom of California’s Pechanga Resort casino. Due to a fractured skull, she passed away in the hospital four days later. Upon investigation, Kawhi’s sister Kimesha and her friend Candace Townsell were arrested as suspects for Assad’s murder. As it turns out, the elderly woman had around $1000 in her purse for gambling and when she went to the bathroom, Kimesha followed Assad into the stall while Candance kept watch. And amid the robbery attempt, Assad suffered a fractured skull and a woman in another stall even testified to hearing a loud thud. While Kimesha and Candace fled the scene, they were later arrested and were sentenced to life imprisonment without parole after being found guilty of first-degree murder last year.

Kimesha Williams denied murder charges despite previous criminal record

As it turns out, Kimesha and Candace had a history of theft charges and Kawhi’s sister was even banned from the casino where she murdered Assad four years before the incident. Despite all evidence against her, Kimesha denied the murder charges and even issued a statement to the victim’s family amid trial, “I am so sorry for your loss. 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.”

Meanwhile, Afaf’s daughter Mary Assad revealed how painful the whole experience was for her in her statement, “This has been a long, painful journey through the criminal court justice system. I still can’t believe my mother was the victim of a violent crime…a part of me died in that hospital room with her… My father is without his wife and partner and is isolated and alone in a way we cannot begin to understand… We seek not vengeance but there needs to be a reckoning for their heinous act.”

And reckoning there was as even the Supreme Court judge Timothy F. Freer did not buy Kimesha’s apology and said, “The idea that Miss Williams or Miss Townsel are not responsible for the death of a human being is laughable.” Sure enough, Kimesha and Candace were punished for the act and will spend the rest of their lives in prison. Meanwhile, Kawhi has made no comments about his sister’s sentence.