LANCASTER (WBAP/KLIF News ) – The brother of former NFL Cornerback Aqib Talib will spend 37 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder.
Yaqub Talib shot and killed 43-year-old youth football coach Michael Hickmon in August of last year after an argument at a football game in Lancaster.
Both Aqib and Yaqub were at the game when the shooting occurred. Aqib was not charged with any crime.
Witnesses said the Talib brothers got into a fight with Hickmon over a referee’s call that escalated quickly.
Talib fired the fatal shot in front of the crowd, including Hickmon’s 9-year-old son.
Hickmon’s widow, Kenyetta Hickman fought back tears as she addressed Talib following the sentencing on Monday.
“What do you tell a 9 year old that watched a person gunned down who they thought was the strongest person in the world? What do you tell him? What do you tell a 14 year old who lost their hero? What do I tell a 25 year old who felt like her dad was everything she had?,” she said.
The widow told Talib that her husband’s death had a profound impact on the entire community.
“You might have killed one person that day but you really committed a mass murder. You killed innocence. You killed souls…hopes…dreams of not just my kids but the other thirty or forty kids that was there. Who does that?,’ she said.
Hickmon’s family also filed a lawsuit against the Talib brothers and the Big 12 Sports League. They’re seeking more than $1 million in damages.
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