One bad decision can lead to consequences that’ll follow you for the rest of your life. Former Michigan State player Keith Appling is finding this out the hard way. After being arrested last year, Appling reportedly entered a guilty plea to second degree murder and a felony gun charge.
Appling was arrested back in May by Michigan State troopers without incident. Reports say that the former player had a firearm in his possession during the time of arrest. According to Joseph Salvadore of Sports Illustrated, the incident occurred on the 1300 block of Whitcomb. A verbal altercation between Appling and the victim turned physical, which then ended in Appling shooting him. The victim? Clyde Edmonds—66-year-old man who was a relative of Appling.
Edmonds, whose wife is the first cousin of Appling’s mother, later succumbed to his injuries after being transported to the hospital. The suspect now faces anywhere from 18 to 40 years of prison time, in addition to two years for the firearm charge. Natalie Bannister, Appling’s girlfriend, is currently serving 1.5 years of probation after pleading guilty to the charge of lying back in July of last year.
“It has been clear that this man has been spiraling downward for some time. Many of those that tried to intervene with this defendant were hoping that he would get on the right track and stay there,” said County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in 2021. “It is always tragic when one with so much promise, talent and possibility is alleged to have committed the most serious of crimes.”
Appling is scheduled to be sentenced by a Michigan judge on March 3rd. What makes this story even more heart-wrenching, is the fact that Appling felt the need to shoot a member of his own family. Times are hard enough in the world as it is. This is a time when you should be leaning on your relatives. If not your own relatives, then who?
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