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Background

Keith Appling was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 13th, 1992. As a youth, he saw basketball as a way to transform his life. He became an elite high school player, averaging 28 points a game as a senior and becoming a McDonalds All-American.

He earned a scholarship to his dream school, Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.

He played basketball at the school from 2010 to 2014, playing with future NBA all-star Draymond Green and several other elite players.

Although he wasn’t selected in the NBA draft after college, he did play 5 NBA games in 2016. Aside from that short NBA stint, Appling played most of his basketball in lesser-known leagues.

Crimes

On three separate occasions in 2016, he was caught with guns. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon. Before being sentenced to one year in prison, he told the judge he would never get in trouble again.

Unfortunately, he didn’t keep his word.

In February 2020, he was caught with 19 grams of heroin that he was planning to sell. He later pleaded guilty to delivering/manufacturing a controlled substance and driving with a license. He was sentenced to 18 months probation.

On May 22nd, 2021, at around 7 pm, he shot 66-year-old Clyde Edmonds in the man’s front yard after a verbal dispute over a gun.

He fled the scene with his girlfriend after the shooting, but he was later taken into custody two days later.

He was charged with first-degree murder, a felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts of felony firearm.

After his arrest for the murder of Edmonds, it came to light that Appling was involved in a shooting on May 2nd, 2021, in Jackson, Michigan.

At around 11 pm, Appling was at a woman’s home when her ex-boyfriend showed up. The men exchanged words as the man sat in his vehicle, and Appling stood just outside it.

Appling fired shots at the man, and the man shot back. Appling was not hit, while the man in the vehicle had a graze wound to his arm.

Legal Proceedings

In February 2023, Appling pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and a firearm charge for the murder of Edmonds. The 31-year-old was sentenced to 18 years to 40 years in prison.

In September 2023, he was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months to 10 years after pleading no contest to the assault with intent to commit bodily harm in relation to the shooting in Jackson.

According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, his earliest possible release date is May 23, 2041, he’ll be 49 years old.