Suspect in Bronco's slaying: It wasn't me

Suspect in Bronco slaying writes that he's falsely accused

Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 16, 2007 at midnight

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In what he calls "the answer to the No. 1 question of the year," Willie Clark says he did not kill Denver Bronco Darrent Williams, and he doesn't know who did.

"I was not involved or present," the 25-year-old said in one of three letters sent to the Rocky Mountain News in recent weeks.

Clark, the only suspect in the killing publicly named so far, also said other defendants are falsely accusing him to get leniency in their own cases, and that "the real me" isn't the drug-dealing gang member he's been portrayed as in the media.

"I do not condone black-on- black violence or gang violence," he wrote. "I'm no saint but I damn sure ain't no member of no gang, drug dealer and most importantly I'm no murderer!"

Clark was taken into custody days after Williams' shooting death. He has not been charged in the New Year's Day killing, but in a court filing, his attorney said he is one of three suspects identified by Denver police.

In June, Clark was indicted along with several other suspected gang members in a federal drug conspiracy. He is being held in the federal detention center.

Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson declined to comment on Clark's statements.

Asked about Clark's comments, U.S. Attorney for Colorado Troy Eid on Monday released a one-sentence response.

"We'll see Mr. Clark in court, and look forward to that day," Eid said.

New Year's Day shooting

Williams, 24, was killed as he was leaving a Denver nightclub following a New Year's Eve party. Authorities have said other people at the club that night had an argument with some patrons, and that the disagreement spilled outside as the party ended.

Williams left in a Hummer limousine. According to police, someone fired shots at the limo from a white SUV registered to Brian Hicks, an accused gang leader who was in jail at the time.

Williams died at the scene. Two others were hit but survived.

Clark was picked up for a parole violation four days later. At the time, authorities called him one of three "persons of interest" in the Williams case.

He was held on the parole violation until July, when he was released briefly, then re-arrested on federal drug charges. The same drug investigation led to indictments of more than 100 people, including Hicks and several other suspected gang members.

Authorities have said they hope pressure from the federal drug charges will lead to information about Williams' death and up to 11 other unsolved homicides.

Denver police have been tight- lipped about how Clark made it on their radar for Williams' death. But some of Williams' friends from Texas who were visiting him the night of the shooting told HBO's Real Sports that they identified for police some of the men involved in the argument.

In his letters, Clark said three other people - one whose name he never heard before - also gave police his name. He did not name those people, but said they all are facing drug or weapons charges.

"It's clear that all three of these men have something in common, all three face some serious time in (federal prison) for the crimes that they were caught doing, now they realize what they've done they're trying to lie on as many people as possible to help reduce the amount of time that they get, and they all chose to lie on me," he wrote.

Normal teenage stuff

Clark describes growing up in Denver's Five Points neighborhood, which he called "a rough neighborhood that was infested with gangs, drugs and violence."

As a result, Clark said, most young people were labeled gang members. In his case, and most others, the label was inaccurate, he said.

"I stuck with being different as I would say 'unique,' " he wrote, adding that he had a close family and never needed the protection that gangs could provide for others.

He was arrested for the first time in 1994, when he was 11 or 12, after having a BB gun "war" with a friend. His friend's sister "got caught in the cross," panicked and called 911. Clark got 20 days in juvenile detention, he said.

He also admits being picked up as a juvenile for using marijuana and curfew violations.

His adult criminal history includes three felony convictions, federal authorities say. Among them is a conviction for stealing a car and for an assault while being held in a Texas jail. He also was charged in 2006 with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

But as he noted in one of his letters, Clark's record includes nothing as serious as the allegations he is facing now.

He believes he was drawn into the federal drug investigation in part because of his friendship with Hicks, whom he grew up with in Five Points.

He also says there is another reason.

"You know as well as I know the only reason why I am facing the federal charge is because the state could not place me or them other two guys in that truck that they say was used in the death of Darrent Williams."

Federal investigation

Federal authorities say that's not true. At a hearing in July, a special agent with the Metro Gang Task Force told a federal judge that Clark joined up with a group of gang members called the Elite Eight in 2006.

The agent, Robert Fuller, said the group may be linked to several unsolved homicides and is believed to have moved hundreds of kilograms of drugs through the Denver area.

Clark started as a runner for Hicks, the group's leader, Fuller said. He also said Clark eventually began cooking his own crack and selling to his own customers.

Fuller got his information from two confidential informants, he said. According to the affidavit filed in the case, one of those informants admitted he supplied kilogram quantities of drugs to the group, and that Clark was present during one of those sales.

In his letters, Clark denied taking part in any drug transaction. He said he has learned the identity of the informant, and that the person has a grudge against him because he believes Clark burglarized his mother's house a decade ago. He also said that while he grew up with Hicks, he never associated with any of the other men Fuller named as members of the Elite Eight.

Clark hopes his letters will clear his name in the public. He said having his name and face in the media has hurt his family and tainted potential jurors who may some day decide his fate.

"I'm not perfect," he wrote. "No one on God's earth surface is, but I know as well as plenty of others know that I'm not guilty of the crimes that was mentioned!"

Letter excerpts

Willie Clark titled his missive "Letter to the Public: Defending Myself."

"My name has been slandered, character has been poisoned so now when the people who do not know the real me hears (sic) my name, they visualize the image of a man who is capable of murder at any cost who poisons the community with drugs. That is not who I am by far. I am not capable of taking another human being's life from them and their family."

"I grew up in a rough neighborhood that was infested with gangs, drugs and violence, and as a result the majority of the young were labeled members of the local gangs. Some were accurate labels and some were not by far."

"Growing up I went through the phase every typical teenager grows through i.e. house parties, female relationships, drugs and alcohol use, joy-riding, school fights just the typical stage before maturing."

"I have not been charged (with the murder of Darrent Williams) but I'm already convicted by the media and their articles that the public reads and been watching everyday! These are the same people that will be picked as jurors which the media has tainted. I'm not perfect no one on God's earth surface is, but I know as well as plenty of others know that I'm not guilty of the crimes that was mentioned!"

burnetts@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5343

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