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DENVER—Federal prosecutors asked a judge Thursday to dismiss crack-cocaine trafficking charges against a man accused of killing Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams and a witness in another case.

Willie Clark, 25, faces life in prison in the New Year’s Day 2007 shooting death of Williams and the December 2006 shooting death of Kalonniann Clark.

Kalonniann Clark, 28, was killed just before she was set to testify against Brian Hicks, whom she accused of trying to kill her.

Hicks, a suspected gang leader, faces federal drug charges in the same conspiracy with Willie Clark.

Hicks was in jail at the time of Kalonniann Clark’s death, but an indictment handed down by a Denver grand jury alleges he told Willie Clark to kill her. The indictment said Willie Clark then found another man, Shun Birch, 27, to help him commit the crime.

Willie Clark and Kalonniann Clark are not related.

In court documents filed Thursday, prosecutors asked that Willie Clark’s drug charges be dismissed unless the state murder cases end in acquittals.

“If Clark is convicted on either of these homicides, the government will likely not proceed with its prosecution,” wrote assistant U.S. attorney Stephanie Podolak. “In the event that Clark is acquitted of both homicides, the government may elect to reinstate this current federal prosecution.”

Willie Clark is accused of dealing and cooking crack cocaine as an associate of the Elite Eight, a subset of the Tre Tre Crips, Denver District Attorney Investigator Robert Fuller has said.

Fuller said the Elite Eight was responsible for selling hundreds of thousands of kilos of cocaine in east Denver, Park Hill and Five Points and raking in millions of dollars.

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Information from: The Denver Post,