Suspects and evidence in the killing of Denver Broncos player Darrent Williams may be easier to unearth than witnesses to help get a conviction, say law-enforcement experts.
Denver police have not divulged much about their investigation, but sources say the case could involve gang members as well as witnesses who may fear retaliation for speaking to authorities.
“Police have an uphill battle,” said the Rev. Leon Kelly, a Denver minister who tries to steer young people from gang life.
Police haven’t officially tied the crime to gangs, but sources say that is one area being examined. Witnesses say the shooting came after a heated argument at the Shelter nightclub, possibly involving gang members.
And a vehicle impounded Thursday in connection to the Williams case is said to be registered to known gang member Brian Kenneth Hicks, who is in jail on attempted-murder and drug charges.
Prosecutors say that in 2005 Hicks shot at two women outside of a nightclub. Neither was injured. Later, one of those women, Kalonniann Clark, was threatened about testifying against Hicks. Clark was then killed just before she was to testify.
No arrests have been made in Clark’s death, and police aren’t calling it a witness killing.
But on the streets, a witness’ death on the eve of a trial is clearly understood, said Kelly.
“Certainly there have been messages that have been sent out from gang members, ‘Look at what happened to this previous person. You better learn what happened,”‘ Kelly said. “It sends a strong message of don’t tell.”
Authorities want to question three gang members in connection with Williams’ killing, a police source said Thursday.
But getting people to testify against any gang members would be difficult, said a Colorado prosecutor who asked not to be identified.
“Witnesses in many crimes, particularly those involving gang members, are terrified,” he said. “There is that stop-snitching mentality to begin with, then when they see a witness who is scheduled to testify being murdered, they are terrified for themselves and their family members.”
Police in Aurora know how difficult it is.
In 2005 Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancee, Vivian Wolfe, were killed days before Marshall-Fields was to testify in a murder trial against a gang member.
No one wanted to talk to investigators out of fear for their lives, say officials.
Gang members got the message out by wearing “Stop Snitching” T-shirts, offering money for silence and threatening to kill anyone who talked to authorities, according to the indictment.
To nab suspects and shatter the code of silence surrounding the Gangster’s Disciples, the gang suspected of being behind the killings, detectives arrested 25 people thought to have information about the crimes, including suspects’ family members and associates, on various unrelated charges.
In exchange for their testimony, witnesses who were under arrest were offered plea deals and relocation to other states.
The double-homicide case has yet to go to trial, but the defendants – Robert Ray, Sir Mario Owens and Parish Carter, charged with murder – could face the death penalty.
It wasn’t easy, said Aurora Deputy Police Chief Terry Jones, but getting witnesses to talk is crucial for the criminal-justice system to survive.
“If not, it’s a real short trip to anarchy,” he said.
Last year, Gov. Bill Owens signed a bill strengthening the state’s witness-protection program, following the shooting of Marshall-Fields and Wolfe.
Under the law, the Colorado District Attorneys Council and law-enforcement agencies are required to provide annual training about the state’s witness-protection program.
Still, witnesses to gang-related crimes are becoming harder to find, said Lt. Jim Welton of the Denver-area Metro Gang Task Force.
“We’re seeing it develop into a greater problem,” Welton said about witness intimidation. “You have to have witnesses.”
Communities where “stop snitching” has become a creed on the street have lower solve rates for their homicide cases, he said. Denver’s not there yet, but he fears the city may be headed that way.
Kelly, the minister who dissuades young people from joining gangs, said he has been keeping a list since 1988 of all of the gang-related deaths in the Denver area.
Every year the list gets longer than the year before, he said. And every generation gets more violent, he said.
“People think gang violence has gone away, but it’s just become part of our society,” Kelly said. “My heart has been broken so much that it’s become more calloused. There is another young man who is gone. Just for a name. Just for respect. It’s stupid. Stupid.”
Staff writer Jeremy P. Meyer may be reached at 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
