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Closing in on a killer?
'Elite Eight' probe may help unravel Williams' slaying
By Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News
July 7, 2007
The man named as a "person of interest" in the slaying of Denver Broncos player Darrent Williams was part of a group of gang members suspected in 11 unsolved homicides, according to a criminal complaint made public Friday.
The group, known as the "Elite Eight," also allegedly sold large amounts of cocaine and took part in "numerous acts of violence," including drive-by shootings, drug robberies and home invasions, the document states.
The federal court complaint charges Willie Dewayne Clark, 25, with conspiracy and distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine. The charges are part of an April federal bust in which more than 70 people were accused of selling drugs in the Denver area.
It does not specifically mention Williams' New Year's Day slaying, or the names of any other victims.
But it seems to indicate authorities are zeroing in on who killed Williams and the other unnamed victims.
For example, it is the first of hundreds of pages filed in the federal drug investigation to make references to murders and drive-by shootings.
It also links Clark - the only person named so far as a "person of interest" in Williams' killing - to Brian Hicks, whose SUV police say was used in the football player's shooting. And it cites two "cooperating defendants" who are giving authorities information about the group.
The complaint was unsealed after a brief federal court appearance for Clark, who was arrested for a parole violation days after the popular Broncos cornerback was shot while leaving a nightclub in a Hummer limousine.
Clark, who appeared in court Friday without an attorney, has not been arrested or charged in that crime.
He was released from Denver police custody Thursday, then arrested on federal charges of drug conspiracy and distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine.
According to the federal complaint filed by an investigator with the Metro Gang Task Force, Clark is a gang member with 25 previous arrests who started as a "runner" for the "Elite Eight."
He worked his way up in the group, eventually selling drugs on his own, the document states. He also lived in and ran a drug house in a duplex at East 43rd Avenue and Cook Street, where the group stashed kilogram quantities of cocaine and cooked crack cocaine, the document says.
The complaint identifies Hicks as the leader of the Elite Eight. He was in jail at the time Williams was killed, and his attorney has said he doesn't know who was driving his Chevy Tahoe.
Hicks is facing a charge of attempted murder from a June 2005 incident in which someone fired shots at a woman named Kaloniann Clark.
Kaloniann Clark was shot and killed in December, shortly before she was scheduled to testify against Hicks. He was in jail at the time, and her killing remains unsolved.
Also named in the federal complaint as members of the Elite Eight are Haven Brewer, Vernon Edwards, Benjamin Cornell Thomas and Malcolm Watson.
Those men also are charged in the federal drug case.
The remaining two members of the Elite Eight are not named.
Williams died from a bullet wound in the neck after leaving a nightclub near downtown around 2:30 a.m. Jan. 1.
burnetts@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5343
Closing in on a killer?
'Elite Eight' probe may help unravel Williams' slaying
By Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News
July 7, 2007
The man named as a "person of interest" in the slaying of Denver Broncos player Darrent Williams was part of a group of gang members suspected in 11 unsolved homicides, according to a criminal complaint made public Friday.
The group, known as the "Elite Eight," also allegedly sold large amounts of cocaine and took part in "numerous acts of violence," including drive-by shootings, drug robberies and home invasions, the document states.
The federal court complaint charges Willie Dewayne Clark, 25, with conspiracy and distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine. The charges are part of an April federal bust in which more than 70 people were accused of selling drugs in the Denver area.
It does not specifically mention Williams' New Year's Day slaying, or the names of any other victims.
But it seems to indicate authorities are zeroing in on who killed Williams and the other unnamed victims.
For example, it is the first of hundreds of pages filed in the federal drug investigation to make references to murders and drive-by shootings.
It also links Clark - the only person named so far as a "person of interest" in Williams' killing - to Brian Hicks, whose SUV police say was used in the football player's shooting. And it cites two "cooperating defendants" who are giving authorities information about the group.
The complaint was unsealed after a brief federal court appearance for Clark, who was arrested for a parole violation days after the popular Broncos cornerback was shot while leaving a nightclub in a Hummer limousine.
Clark, who appeared in court Friday without an attorney, has not been arrested or charged in that crime.
He was released from Denver police custody Thursday, then arrested on federal charges of drug conspiracy and distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine.
According to the federal complaint filed by an investigator with the Metro Gang Task Force, Clark is a gang member with 25 previous arrests who started as a "runner" for the "Elite Eight."
He worked his way up in the group, eventually selling drugs on his own, the document states. He also lived in and ran a drug house in a duplex at East 43rd Avenue and Cook Street, where the group stashed kilogram quantities of cocaine and cooked crack cocaine, the document says.
The complaint identifies Hicks as the leader of the Elite Eight. He was in jail at the time Williams was killed, and his attorney has said he doesn't know who was driving his Chevy Tahoe.
Hicks is facing a charge of attempted murder from a June 2005 incident in which someone fired shots at a woman named Kaloniann Clark.
Kaloniann Clark was shot and killed in December, shortly before she was scheduled to testify against Hicks. He was in jail at the time, and her killing remains unsolved.
Also named in the federal complaint as members of the Elite Eight are Haven Brewer, Vernon Edwards, Benjamin Cornell Thomas and Malcolm Watson.
Those men also are charged in the federal drug case.
The remaining two members of the Elite Eight are not named.
Williams died from a bullet wound in the neck after leaving a nightclub near downtown around 2:30 a.m. Jan. 1.
burnetts@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5343
