See also: Clifton Ray Williams Arrested in Alleged Taser Attack & Kidnapping on South Broadway
During the early morning hours of July 24, 2011, as we've reported, Williams allegedly attacked a woman on the 2300 block of South Broadway.According to an arrest affidavit on view below, the woman told investigators she'd attended a party at the City Hall Events Center and was walking past Rebellion Pizza when an unknown man pressed a stun gun against her and began to drag her away. When she fought back, she says he tased her once in the stomach area and a second time against her neck. The pair subsequently fell to the ground, causing him to loosen his grip on her. At that point, she was able to run onto South Broadway and was able to flag down a car.
A Crimestoppers tip subsequently brought Williams to law enforcement's attention -- and the victim picked his mug shot out of a photo lineup.
In a jailhouse interview with CBS4 also on the second page of this post, Williams denied that he was a sexual predator, claiming instead that he'd been ripped off by a prostitute while he was high.More than three years later, Williams, who'd been free on bond, finally went to trial over the matter. Then, after a lunch break on Tuesday, he vanished, prompting the Denver District Attorney's Office to put out an alert in his name.
On Thursday, the DA's office revealed that the jury had reached its verdict in the case, finding Williams guilty of second-degree kidnapping, attempted sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact and third-degree assault -- a potpourri of offenses for which he faced up to 24 years behind bars.A warrant was issued for Williams -- and at about 8:15 p.m. Saturday, October 16, the Aurora Police Department reveals that investigators received a tip that a wanted fugitive from Denver County was inside a vacant home at 1307 South Biscay Street. CBS4 reports that the residence was very near Williams's last known address.
In short order, the APD set up a perimeter around the home, after which an officer saw someone trying to climb a backyard fence. As authorities closed in, the man shot himself and was later pronounced dead.The APD didn't immediately confirm the man's identity as Williams. However, the police rep who spoke with CBS4 and other outlets suggested that this was a mere formality.
Below, see a CBS4 piece about this deadly incident. That's followed by our previous coverage.
Continue for our previous coverage of the search for Clifton Ray Williams, including photos, a video and his original arrest affidavit. Original post, 9:50 a.m. October 16: Clifton Ray Williams, busted for an alleged taser attack and kidnapping, has spent more than three years proclaiming his innocence. But then, in the middle of a trial during which he presumably had a chance to share his side of the story, he vanished -- and he remains at large as of this writing. Continue for photos, a video, the original arrest report and more details.
We first reported about the incident for which Williams was busted in July 2011. Between 1:15 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on the 24th of that month (an early Sunday morning), Denver police said a woman was walking alone on the 2300 block of South Broadway when someone came up to her from behind -- and an instant later, she felt a sting that she thought came from a stun gun.More specifics can be found in the aforementioned arrest affidavit. The woman told investigators she'd attended a party at the City Hall Events Center and was walking past Rebellion Pizza when an unknown man pressed a stun gun against her and began to drag her away. When she fought back, she says he tased her once in the stomach area and a second time against her neck. The pair subsequently fell to the ground, causing him to loosen his grip on her. At that point, she ran onto South Broadway and was able to flag down a car.
The suspect was described as a five-feet-ten-inch, black goateed Hispanic or Caucasian male in his twenties, who wore a black shirt and pants on the night of the incident, which was captured in surveillance footage later shared with CBS4. In the first image, the flash seen coming from the blurry figure on the right is thought to have come from a stun gun.... ...while the second shot captures the suspect fleeing from the scene: Shortly thereafter, the cops released a composite sketch of the suspect.... ...and there's no denying that Williams, who was busted in August, strongly resembles the illustration even though he was in his late thirties, not his twenties; he's forty now. By the way, we included the image above in a gallery of 2011's most intimidating mug shots.The arrest report's narrative reveals that cops learned about Williams from a Crime Stoppers tip on July 30. The caller said the sketch resembled a man who lived at the Turnberry Apartments in Aurora. Williams lived there with his girlfriend -- and when police included a previous mug shot taken of him in a photo lineup, the victim chose his pic. In a later interview, Williams' girlfriend admitted that the man in surveillance footage looked like him and confirmed that he owned a stun gun.
After his arrest, Williams conducted a jail house interview with CBS4 in which he claimed that he was a victim, not the perpetrator of a crime. According to him, he'd gotten high and then tried to hire a prostitute, and she'd stolen $100 from him. He added: "I guess I've been all over the news portrayed as a sexual predator, if you will, which I am not. I am not."
Williams was eventually freed on a $60,000 bond, and he finally went on trial last week. But then, on Tuesday, he left for a lunch break and never returned.
The Denver District Attorney's Office has now formally declared Williams to be a wanted man. If you see him or know of his whereabouts, you're encouraged to contact local law enforcement or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
Here's a look at another Williams mug shot, followed by an updated CBS4 report and the arrest affidavit.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
