Former Michigan State point guard Keith Appling facing murder charges, will be arraigned on Thursday

Former Michigan State basketball point guard Keith Appling will be arraigned via Zoom today in Detroit’s 36th District Court.

Appling faces multiple charges, according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy: one count of first-degree murder, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts of felony firearm.

Appling is accused of fatally shooting his relative, Clyde Edmonds, multiple times on May 22 after an argument over a handgun. He fled the scene with his girlfriend, who will also be arraigned today with one count of accessory after the fact and one count of lying to a police officer.

Update: Appling pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charge. He will be held without bond. According to Local 4 WDIV, a probable cause conference is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on June 22 over Zoom and an in-person preliminary examination is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on June 29.

Separately, Appling is also accused of a second shooting in Jackson County’s 12th District Court for an incident that happened on May 2. According to the Detroit Free Press, Appling is currently awaiting a preliminary examination for charges of assault with intent to do bodily harm less than murder and felony firearm.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, who coached Appling from 2010 through 2014, recently called the situation “sad.” According to the Detroit News, Izzo had this to say:

“Sad,” Izzo said. “I’m thinking about him. I feel bad about him. It’s a shame what’s happened.”

Since leaving Michigan State, Appling has gotten into legal trouble multiple times. In 2017, he was sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to charges of carrying a concealed weapon and attempting to resist and obstruct a police officer. In February of 2020, police found 19 grams of heroin in Appling’s car, and he was also driving without a license, and Appling was eventually sentenced to 18 months of probation.

Appling was named Michigan’s Mr. Basketball in 2010. In 142 games for the Spartans, Appling averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He had a brief stint with the Orlando Magic in 2016, and also spent time in the NBA G League and playing professional basketball internationally.