Crime & Safety
Keith Appling Scheduled To Appear Before Judge Thursday Morning
The former basketball star is charged with murder in the shooting death of a 66-year-old Detroit man.
DETROIT — A former Michigan State University basketball player charged in the shooting death of a Detroit man last month is scheduled to appear before a Wayne County judge Thursday for arraignment on a murder charge.
Keith Appling, 29, a former star for the Spartans men's basketball team, is scheduled for an 11 a.m. arraignment Thursday in 36th District Court. He is charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of felony firearm.
“It has been clear that this man has been spiraling downward for some time," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Tuesday. "Many of those that tried to intervene with this defendant were hoping that he would get on the right track and stay there. It is always tragic when one with so much promise, talent, and possibility is alleged to have committed the most serious of crimes.”
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Appling is accused of killing Clyde Edmonds, a relative.
Prosecutors said Appling's girlfriend, 28-year-old Natalie Brooks Banister, of Jackson, is charged with accessory after the fact in connection with the shooting. Prosecutors have accused her of driving Appling from the scene and lying to police investigating the case.
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Detroit police identified Appling as a suspect in the shooting, which unfolded in the 13200 block of Whitcomb Street on May 22. Police at the time said Appling and Edmonds had a "verbal altercation" over a handgun that turned physical before Edmonds was shot multiple times.
Appling fled the area near Schoolcraft and Greenfield Road a newer model tan Buick Regal, police said later. He was arrested around 10:30 a.m. on May 24 without incident in the 1500 block of Commerce Park Drive in Chelsea. A firearm was recovered during the arrest, police said in a news release.
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