Jerrod Mustaf, who left the NBA after the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, has died aged 55

Former Knicks first-round pick Jerrod Mustaf, who was embroiled in a murder controversy during his career, died on his 55th birthday Monday, according to the Baltimore Sun.

According to the report, the cause of death is not yet known.

The Knicks selected Mustaf with the 17th pick in the 1990 NBA Draft after a strong college career at Maryland.

The North Carolina native averaged 16.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in two seasons with the Terrapins, including a team-high 18.5 points and 7.7 rebounds in his sophomore season in 1989-90.

“Jerrod was a very talented big man who was very skilled in all phases of the game,” former Maryland coach Gary Williams said in a statement to the Baltimore Sun. “He played one season for me, which was my first year at Maryland. … He was an important member of the Maryland basketball family.”

Mustaf then joined a Knicks team that went 45-37 and lost to the eventual champion Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals the year before, but he only stayed in New York for one season.

The power forward averaged 4.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 62 games (five starts) in his rookie season for a 39-43 Knicks team that the eventual champion Bulls defeated in the first round. .

The Knicks then sent Mustaf along with Trent Tucker and two second-round picks to the Suns in exchange for Xavier McDaniel.

Mustaf played three years with Phoenix before his NBA career ended, averaging just 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 117 games.

He averaged 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 179 NBA games before moving on to an international career.

“Nothing about Phoenix was a good fit for me,” Mustaf told Sports Illustrated.

During his time in Phoenix, Mustaf found himself in controversy after he was accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend.

According to the News & Record, Althea Hayes was shot in the head on July 22, 1993, while she was three months pregnant with Mustaf's child.

Mustaf's cousin, LaVonnie Wooten, was convicted of first-degree murder and given a life sentence without parole, according to the Washington Times, but both the prosecution and defense claimed Mustaf was the mastermind of the murder because he wanted to give Hayes an abortion, they said it in the report.

Hayes' family claims the ex-NBA player offered her $5,000 not to have the child, according to a Tucson Citizen report.

Despite the allegations, Mustaf was not charged with a crime and he claimed he did not know Hayes was pregnant, the source said.

According to The Washington Times, he settled out of court with Hayes' family in 1998 after Hayes' parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

According to the New York Times, the Suns bought out the remaining two years and $3.8 million on Mustaf's contract extension in 1994 after the murder.

Hayes told Sports Illustrated that the allegations against him were “totally unfair” and helped keep him out of the league.

“Whether I was blackballed,” he told the publication, “is not even a question.”

KC Scull, the Phoenix prosecutor assigned to the case, told Sports Illustrated that it hurt him that he couldn't prosecute the case.

“It is one of my greatest regrets that I was not allowed to try this case,” he said.

According to The Washington Times, Mustaf was dealing with more legal issues when he was charged with second-degree assault in 2001.

According to Sports Illustrated, he also allegedly attacked and threatened a pregnant girlfriend while he was in college and years later fired a gun in front of his pregnant girlfriend.

Mustaf later became involved in charity work following his playing career.

He became executive director of Take Charge, a nonprofit program for youth.

“I will do everything I can to clear my name and continue to live a meaningful life,” Mustaf said in 1996 while trying to get on the SuperSonics roster, according to the Seattle Times. “I want to improve relations between blacks and whites and Jews and others, and I think I can do that.”