Two men accused of stabbing Boston Celtic Paul
Pierce were found guilty of assault, but were acquitted of the most serious
charge, intent to murder. A third man was found not guilty on all charges.
Trevor Watson, 35 and William Ragland, 30 and
Anthony Hurston, 33, were all facing numerous charges of assault and intent
to murder charges. Watson and Ragland were both found guilty of assault, but
were both acquitted of the intent to murder charge. Hurston was the only one
to walk. All three men claim that the trial was biased due to their affiliation
with The Source co-owner Ray Benzino and the rap group Made Men.
Pierce was stabbed in the face, neck and back
while in the pool room of a nightclub on Sept. 25, 2000.
I’m happy that this has come to an end,"
Pierce said in a statement released to AllHipHop.com. "It was an unfortunate
incident for all involved and I am looking forward to putting it behind me and
focusing my attention on the upcoming season."
Ragland is facing up to 10 years in prison for
the assault with a dangerous weapon conviction and another 2 1/2 years for the
assault and battery. Watson faces 2 1/2 years in prison. Sentencing was scheduled
Friday October 11.
"Paul’s a good dude. He got us caught up
in a situation we had nothing to do with," Hurston said after the verdict
was read. "He’s a victim as much as us."