One of the suspects accused of killing an elderly woman at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula is said to be the sister of NBA star forward Kawhi Leonard, a Riverside publication reported Saturday.
Leonard, a San Diego State University alum, signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in July.
On Aug. 31, Kimesha Monae Williams, 35, and Candace Tai Townsel, 39, allegedly followed Afaf Anis Assad, 84, of Long Beach into a bathroom.
The duo then attacked and robbed her, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
An aunt of Williams’ identified her as Leonard’s sister to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. She told the paper that Leonard “didn’t have anything to do with” the crime.
Kimesha Monae Williams, the sister of Clippers player Kawhi Leonard, is accused in casino murder of 84-year-old woman.https://t.co/ZnOe8tDaZ5 via @PressEnterprise reporter @Brian_Rokos.
— James H. Williams (@JHWreporter) September 7, 2019
John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, declined to confirm the relationship.
Assad, found unconscious on the bathroom floor, later died of her injuries at Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar.
Sheriff’s officials said Williams and Townsel stole Assad’s purse, which contained $800 to $1,200.
“She didn’t even get a chance to play,” Assad’s son-in-law told CBS2, a Los Angeles station. “I mean, she had some money in her wallet because she was ready to play that day, and I don’t know if they targeted her because she just walked through the door and they knew she had money in her wallet.”
Sgt. Steve Brosche said detectives obtained leads implicating Williams and Townsel.
The authorities arrested Williams in Perris, transporting her to Indio Jail, where she remains without bail. They arrested Townsel in Hemet, taking her to Banning, where she remains on $1 million bail at Smith Correctional Facility.
Leonard and the Clippers could not be reached for comment.
Leonard attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley. He graduated from Martin Luther King High School in Riverside.
He was a All-American collegiate player at San Diego State, and a first-round NBA pick in 2011.
In the off-season, teams sought the two-time Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals – most recently in June with the Toronto Raptors – regarding him as the top free-agent. He opted for the Clippers, signing a three-year, $103 million contract.
– City News Service