Clarence King

Clarence King was an 18-year-old African-American man from Aurora, Illinois, and a former student of East Aurora School District 131. His life was cut tragically short in a brutal series of events that spanned two cities in July 2016.

The violence began on the evening of Friday, July 15, 2016. At about 8:30 p.m., a large fight broke out in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 900 block of Second Avenue in Aurora. As Aurora police officers arrived at the scene, many of the people involved, including Clarence, fled. A short time later, Clarence was allegedly spotted by several men who had also been involved in the brawl. The men, including 39-year-old Anthony Bills, are accused of beating Clarence until he was unconscious.

What happened next was a horrific kidnapping. Authorities allege that Bills and the other men placed the unconscious teenager into the trunk of Bills’ 2002 Lincoln Continental. They then drove from Aurora to Chicago, a journey of nearly 40 miles. According to charging documents, Clarence may have been beaten again after arriving in the city. His assailants then abandoned him in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the city's West Side.

The following morning, Saturday, July 16, 2016, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Chicago Police discovered Clarence King's body in a backyard in the 4500 block of West West End Avenue. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy conducted by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that his death was a homicide caused by multiple injuries from the severe assault he had endured. Clarence had lived on the first block of North Sumner Avenue in Aurora.

A joint investigation was launched by Area North detectives from the Chicago Police Department and the Aurora Police Department. Investigators quickly identified Anthony Bills as a suspect, but he had fled the state, heading to Tennessee. Police credited information from the public as a significant factor in advancing the case. In November 2016, detectives located the Lincoln Continental believed to have been used in the crime. They secured a search warrant, seized the vehicle, and transported it back to Aurora for forensic processing.

In March 2017, while Bills was already incarcerated at the Kane County Correctional Center on unrelated charges, authorities announced multiple charges against him in connection with Clarence's death. The Kane County State’s Attorney charged Bills with five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of mob action. Police stated that the motive for the murder appeared to be gang-related. Bail for the murder charges was set at $5 million. At a court hearing on June 8, 2017, Anthony Bills pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

The investigation into Clarence King’s death remained ongoing as of June 2017, and Aurora police have not ruled out the possibility of charging additional individuals involved in the attack. Authorities have asked anyone with information to contact Aurora Police Investigations at (630) 256-5500. Aurora Area Crime Stoppers also offered a cash reward of up to $5,000 for tips leading to an arrest.