Las Vegas Aces Guard Arrested on Felony Domestic Violence Charges

Posted on: July 26, 2023, 02:51h. 

Last updated on: July 26, 2023, 03:42h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Aces guard Riquna Williams, a member of last year’s championship WNBA team, was arrested for felony domestic violence against her wife on Tuesday.

Riquna Williams of the Las Vegas Aces appears in Las Vegas Justice Court on Wednesday. (Image: Associated Press)

Williams, 33, faces five felony charges, including multiple counts of domestic battery by strangulation, coercion with the threat or use of physical force, and assault with use of a weapon, according to court records. She also faces four misdemeanor domestic battery charges.

Williams was allowed to walk free following her initial court appearance Wednesday morning. She didn’t have to pay bail due to her lack of criminal history and ties to the community. However, Justice of the Peace Rebecca Saxe ordered her to have no contact with her alleged victim and to comply with alcohol monitoring until her next court appearance on August 2.

“The court does have concerns regarding the extremely violent nature of the allegations in this case — that they were alleged to have occurred over an extended period of time,” Saxe said.

Records show that Williams was married in Clark County in September. Her public defender, Ryan Bashor, told Saxe on Wednesday that Williams’ spouse has already moved out of Las Vegas.

Riquna Williams has proven herself on this kind of court. (Image: Las Vegas Aces)

Previous Trouble

Williams, nicknamed “Bay Bay,” averaged 6.7 points last season but has sat out the current season, which would have been her 11th in the WBNA, due to a back injury. She didn’t speak during the hearing at Las Vegas Justice Court, where she stood in shackles behind security glass wearing a grey Raiders T-shirt.

In 2019, when she played for the Los Angeles Sparks, Williams was suspended for 10 games without pay following an arrest on domestic battery charges. She has no criminal convictions.

Williams joined the Aces as a free agent before the 2021 season.