Mikey Williams case can proceed to trial, judge rules

The case against Mikey Williams, a four-star shooting guard committed to Memphis, can officially proceed to a trial, a Superior Court judge ruled on Tuesday.

That news comes courtesy of San Diego Union-Tribune writer Mark Zeigler.

Williams has been enrolled in online classes at the University of Memphis but has not been participating in activities with Memphis basketball as his court case lingers.

“(We’ve) got to wait and see,” Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway said in September. “They’re going see if it’s going to go to trial and we’ll go from there.”

Williams was arrested on April 13 and has been charged with five counts of assault with a firearm and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 28 years in prison.

The alleged incident took place on March 27 at Williams’ $1.2 million home in Jamul, California. Police say there was a “verbal altercation” as some five guests at the home were asked to leave. Gunshots were fired as they got into their car and the vehicle was hit, but no one was hurt.

Williams’ attorney, Troy P. Owens, said he initially hoped the case would have a quick conclusion. However, with new evidence continuing to come in, the delays were necessary to give him additional time to prep and offer the best defense.

“That was my goal at the beginning of this case, because there were a lot of deadlines coming up with school enrollment and everything,” Owens said in early September. “But we have to dictate our dates based upon how the evidence comes out. If we’re not in a position to proceed and we haven’t reviewed all of the available evidence, we’re not going to go forward with a hearing.”

A preliminary hearing in the case was postponed multiple times before finally occurring on Tuesday.

Williams played his senior year of high school at San Ysidro High School in San Diego. He ranked as the No. 52 overall player and No. 13 shooting guard in the 2023 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3’s Steve Samra and Chandler Vessels also contributed to this report.