LOS ANGELES » The son of a slain 20th Century Fox executive and former University of Hawaii basketball player begged the man accused of killing his father not to hurt the executive months before his death, according to grand jury transcripts.

Documents recently made public reveal Evan Smith testified that he pleaded with John Creech in December 2010 not to hurt his father, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

Creech had recently learned that his wife was having an affair with Evan’s father, Gavin Smith, after they met in drug rehab two years earlier.

Creech, a convicted drug dealer, was indicted last month on a capital murder charge in the killing of Smith, whose remains were found in a shallow grave in the desert last fall.

Creech, 42, has pleaded not guilty. He is serving an eight-year prison sentence for selling or delivering drugs.

Creech’s lawyer has said his client defended himself when attacked by Smith and could have caused a fatal injury.

Smith, 57, vanished in May 2012 after leaving a friend’s home in Ventura County. His Mercedes-Benz was found 10 months later in a Simi Valley storage facility linked to Creech. Smith’s blood and body tissue were found inside.

Smith transferred to UH from UCLA where he played on the 1975 NCAA championship basketball team. He played one season for the Rainbows in 1976-77 when he scored an average of 23.4 points a game for a team that went 9-18 under Larry Little. Smith’s single-season scoring average was a program record that still stands today. He scored 30 or more points five times at UH.

Former UH coach Riley Wallace was the coach at Centenary when he came to play Larry Little’s Rainbows twice in Honolulu on Feb. 18 and 19 of 1977. Smith and the ‘Bows won 104-79 and 92-73.

"Big-time scorer. Scored a lot of points," Wallace remembered. "He was one heck of a good shooter. He had the long hair, and he wore a bandanna. … He was a heck of an offensive player."

Smith was with Fox’s movie distribution department for nearly 18 years and was a branch manager for several theaters. He also had three children.