Former Michigan State star pleads guilty in 2021 murder case

DETROIT (AP) — A former Michigan State University basketball star pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and a firearm charge in the fatal 2021 shooting of a Detroit man.

Keith Damon Appling, 31, pleaded guilty in Wayne County Circuit Court to one count each of second-degree murder and felony firearm in the killing of Clyde Edmonds, 66, Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.

Appling pleaded guilty to the charges on the same day his trial in Edmonds' death was set to begin.

The Detroit Pershing prep star played at Michigan State from 2010 to 2014. Appling also played pro basketball overseas and had two brief contracts with the NBA’s Orlando Magic.

He was charged in Edmonds' murder in June 2021. Prosecutors said Appling fatally shot Edmonds on May 22, 2021, after the men argued over a handgun. Edmonds was pronounced dead at a hospital. His wife and Appling's mother are first cousins, authorities said.

Appling's plea agreement calls for 18 to 40 years in prison on the second-degree murder charge and two years to be served consecutively on the firearm charge. The remaining charges Appling faced — first-degree murder, felony in possession of a firearm and a second count of felony firearm — will be dismissed at his sentencing hearing, which is set for March 3, Worthy said in a news release.

Prosecutors said Appling's girlfriend, Natalie Bannister, drove Appling from the shooting scene, The Detroit News reported.

She pleaded guilty last year to one count of lying to a police officer and was sentenced to 18 months of probation. A charge of accessory after the fact and a second count of lying to police were dropped under Bannister's plea agreement.