Man pleads no contest to shooting of Williams sister

A gang member pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter over the 2003 shooting death of the half-sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

Robert Maxfield, 25, entered his plea on the day his third trial in the killing was due to start in Compton, California.

“No contest” is a uniquely American plea in which the defendant neither admits nor disputes the charge. In making such a plea, the defendant who is facing a realistic prospect of conviction does not wish to face trial but does not want to admit guilt. The case then moves to the sentencing stage.

Maxfield was accused of killing Yetunde Price with a shot in the back of the head while the woman sat in an SUV driven by her boyfriend, who was not injured.

Price, 31, of Corona, had three children, owned a beauty shop and was also a personal assistant to her sisters, who began their tennis careers in Compton.

Judge Steven Suzukawa set sentencing of Maxfield for April 6.

Prosecutors said he was a member of the Southside Crips and was seeking revenge on another gang. They alleged that Maxfield, surrounded by fellow gang members at a crack house, seized an assault weapon and took aim at the SUV when it approached.

Last April, a judge declared a mistrial in the previous proceedings after a jury reported it had voted 11-1 in favour of convicting Maxfield, the district attorney’s office said.

Another jury had deadlocked, with five jurors voting to convict Maxfield, six favouring acquittal and one unable to decide, prosecutors said.

A judge dismissed charges against another suspect in the case who had been suspected of shooting at Price but not firing the shots that killed her.

State law allows a murder charge for taking part in a crime in which a person is killed by someone else.