That encounter between celebrated professional athletes and an alleged angry gang member ultimately led to the Jan. 1, 2007, shooting death of cornerback Darrent Williams, a jury decided Thursday, convicting Clark of first degree murder.
“It was a chance meeting and it was a ridiculous altercation that led to this tragic result,” said Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. Over three years after the death of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, Willie Clark was found guilty of murder Thursday. Clark, 26, was facing 21 charges, including two counts of first-degree murder.
After 11 days of testimony from over 40 witnesses, the jury deliberated for around 12 hours over the course of three days before arriving at the guilty verdict. Clark now faces life in prison. Federal drug cases pending against the gang’s members helped crack the case. Several witnesses testified they saw or heard from Clark that he fired shots from an SUV truck into a stretch Hummer limousine carrying Williams and 16 others from the nightclub at 2 a.m. Williams died in teammate Javon Walker’s arms.
“We street,” Willie Clark told wide receiver Brandon Marshall, according to court testimony. “We got money too.” Williams was a star cornerback at O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth, Texas. He played at Oklahoma State, where he was a 2003 All-Big 12 selection. The Broncos made him their second-round pick, 56th overall, in the 2005 draft.
In his second season, Williams was already a starter and had four interceptions, second-best on the team. He was tied for third in tackles with 86. That encounter between celebrated professional athletes and an alleged angry gang member ultimately led to the Jan. 1, 2007, shooting death of cornerback Darrent Williams, a jury decided Thursday, convicting Clark of first degree murder.
