Aurora man charged with kidnapping and beating Clarence King, then dumping his body in West Garfield Park

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 10:21:43 -0500

By MATTHEW HENDRICKSON
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Anthony W. Bills | Aurora Police

An Aurora man has been charged with murder and kidnapping in connection with the death of 18-year-old Clarence King, whose body was found in the West Garfield Park neighborhood last summer.

Anthony W. Bills, 39, was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of mob action, Aurora police announced Wednesday.

About 8:30 p.m. July 15, 2016, Bills and King were involved in a large fight at an apartment complex in the 600 block of Second Avenue in Aurora, police said. When officers arrived, King and others ran off. A short time later, King was seen by Bills and several other men involved in the fight and was beaten unconscious.

King was placed into the trunk of Bills’ 2002 Lincoln Continental, driven to Chicago, and dumped in the 4500 block of West End Avenue, police said. His body was found the next morning.

Clarence King | Facebook

An autopsy found King died of multiple injuries from an assault and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Police said Bills went to Tennessee, where detectives later found his vehicle and brought it back to Aurora as evidence.

Bills was in custody at the Kane County Correctional Center in St. Charles on unrelated charges when the murder charges were announced, police said. His bond was increased to $5 million.

Police said the investigation is ongoing, and others connected to King’s death could still be charged. Anyone with information should call police at (630) 256-5500.

A $5,000 reward was offered by Aurora Crime Stoppers. Tips can be made by calling (630) 892-1000.

Missing Aurora man Clarence King found beaten to death in West Side yard

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 09:27:22 -0500

Clarence King, an 18-year-old man reported missing in west suburban Aurora, who was found beaten to death Saturday morning on Chicago’s West Side.

King was last seen about 8 p.m. Friday in the 900 block of Second Avenue in Aurora, where a large fight had taken place in a parking lot, according to Aurora police.

He was found dead about 9:30 a.m. Saturday in a backyard in the 4500 block of West West End Avenue, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy found he died of multiple injuries from an assault and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the first block of North Sumner Avenue in Aurora.

Area North detectives and Aurora police are investigating. While it was not clear where or when King was killed, Aurora police said CHicago Police are handling the investigation. Anyone with information should call Aurora police at (630) 256-5500, and tips will be forwarded to Chicago Police.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Clarence King | Homicide Watch Chicago

Aurora man charged with kidnapping and beating Clarence King, then dumping his body in West Garfield Park

Missing Aurora man Clarence King found beaten to death in West Side yard