Crime & Safety

Montclair Man Accused of Killing Villanova Student Rejects Plea Deal, Report Says

Ernest Williams, 22, will stand trial in spring with alleged accomplice James Pitts, 23, also of Montclair.

A Montclair man charged in the July 2012 shooting death of a Villanova University student turned down a plea deal Tuesday, according to a report on NJ.com.

Under the deal, Ernest Williams, 22, would have served 25 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to the murder of Brian Schiavetti, 21, of Ridgefield, Conn., the report said.

Schiavetti was found shot to death in an apartment building on William Street in Montclair in what prosecutors described as a botched drug deal.

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Williams, the report said, is expected to be tried in the spring alongside another Montclair man, James Pitts, 23, his alleged accomplice.

Pitts, a former cornerback for the Villanova football team and stand-out player from Montclair High School, is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to violate narcotics laws.

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