Willie Clark guilty of killing Darrent Williams
Broncos Defensive End Elvis Dumervil played a crucial role in the murder conviction of Willie Clark, who shot & killed Darrent Williams on NYD 2007
- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
A Denver jury has found Willie Clark guilty of murdering former Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams early on New Year’s Day 2007. The jury deliberated for a day and a half before returning the guilty verdict Thursday.
Defense attorneys argued on Clarks’ behalf that witnesses who testified that Willie was the shooter were only trying to conceal their own guilt, but a glut of evidence and testimony pointed to Clark. The skapegoat defense failed to hold water, and the Denver jury spent all of Wednesday & Thursday morning in deliberations before submitting a guilty verdict.
Denver prosecutors will likely seek life in prison for the noted gang member. No information was available as to whether or not Clark’s defense team planned to appeal the jury’s findings.
The tense trial involved a number of current & former Broncos players, including Brandon Marshall and Elvis Dumervil. It was Dumervil who provided key evidence that broke a logjam in testimony early on in the trial. Marshall wept as he described sleepless nights remembering the night that the talented, enigmatic Darrent Williams was shot along Speer Boulevard in Downtown Denver.
Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen released a statement almost immediately following Clark’s conviction:
“Nothing can ever bring Darrent Williams back or ease the suffering for (his mother) Rosalind and her grandchildren. But after three long years, it is very gratifying to see closure brought to this case. This process has been extremely difficult for the Williams family, his friends and teammates, this community, and the entire Denver Broncos organization.
I would like to praise the long and hard work of the Denver Police Department and the Denver District Attorney’s Office. I also want to thank the Denver community for the overwhelming support that both the Williams family and the Broncos have received during this unimaginable tragedy.
Darrent’s legacy will live on for all of us in the Broncos organization, and the outstanding work done each day at the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center is a tribute to his impact on this community. Our hearts continue to go out to the entire Williams family.”
