2 former New Jersey prosecutors to testify in Jayson Williams racial bias inquiry

Former NJ prosecutor on stand in Williams hearing

SOMERVILLE, N.J. — The New Jersey prosecutor who tried former NBA star Jayson Williams on manslaughter charges five years ago is on the witness stand.

Former Hunterdon County First Assistant Prosecutor Steven Lember is testifying as Williams’ lawyers try to show that law enforcement was racially biased. Former prosecutor Katherine Errickson, who also participated in the trial, also is scheduled to testify Wednesday.

Williams was acquitted in 2004 of aggravated manslaughter in the death of Costas Christofi. He was convicted of trying to cover up the crime and faces retrial on a reckless manslaughter count.

At the heart of the appeal is a racial slur uttered by an investigator about Williams. Lember says he isn’t sure when he learned about it.