Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse, Colfax and Fox street. Jury reaches a verdict today, Photo of hicks listening to his charges. Brian Hicks is on trial for the
Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse, Colfax and Fox street. Jury reaches a verdict today, Photo of hicks listening to his charges. Brian Hicks is on trial for the 2006 witness-murder of Kalonniann Clark who was killed in her home days before she was going to testify against him in an attempted murder case. ( John Prieto/ The Denver Post)

Brian Kenneth Hicks was found guilty on all counts Friday, including conspiracy and soliciting his gang associates to kill a state witness.

Hicks was immediately sentenced to life plus 120 years in prison on the convictions for first- degree murder; solicitation to commit first-degree murder; conspiracy to commit first-degree murder; and aggravated intimidation of a witness or victim.

"I understand the jury made their decision based on evidence submitted to the court," Hicks said after he was sentenced. "I maintain my innocence and despite the jury's decision, there was a a ton of evidence that should have been submitted because there is a lot more to this case."

Hicks, said by investigators to be the leader of one of Denver's largest drug-dealing gangs, was stoic as the verdicts were read. A lone female juror, clutching a tissue, appeared on the verge of tears after a day and a half of deliberations.

Prosecutors proved Hicks ordered his gang and drug-dealing associates to kill Kalonniann Clark to prevent her from testifying against him.

Clark and Hicks had a long-running dispute, and she had accused him of shooting at her outside a Denver nightclub in 2005.

Just days before the attempted-murder trial in that case, Clark met briefly with Hicks' defense attorney at the time and told him she wasn't backing down from going to court.

Then, on Dec. 6, 2006, two men dressed in black broke down the door of her home and chased her outside. Clark was shot in the head on the sidewalk.

Prosecutor AnnMarie Spain said Clark did not deserve to die, and her four children didn't deserve to lose their mother.

"Her oldest child is having problems because he wants to hunt down the man who did this to his mother," Spain said. "The jury has sent a very loud message and a very strong message that the killing of a witness cuts to the heart of the criminal justice system."

Willie D. Clark, described by prosecutors as Hicks' right- hand man, and Shun Birch are each charged with carrying out the killing.

Birch goes on trial separately at the end of this month.

A trial date has not been set for Willie Clark, who was previously convicted of killing Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams in a separate case.

Almost from the start, police suspected Hicks was involved in Clark's death even though he was in the Denver County Jail at the time awaiting trial on a federal drug charge.

Detective Joel Humphrey listened to thousands of hours of recorded phone calls from the jail in order to decipher Hicks' calls to his fellow drug dealers and gang members on the outside.

Kalonniann Clark was killed after two men broke into her house.
Kalonniann Clark was killed after two men broke into her house.

"This is one of the largest, most important homicide trials we've had in years, and we are particularly proud of Detective Humphrey," said Denver police Lt. Matt Murray. "A lot of detectives helped in the initial investigation, but he was the sole detective plugging away all these years."

On the tapes, Hicks and his associates used coded language to talk to one another.

Prosecutors contend the calls were about arranging Clark's murder and trying to come up with the $20,000 needed to pay her killer in cash, cars and drugs.

But Hicks' defense attorney, Wil Smith, argued those calls were misinterpreted by police, and Hicks was discussing his financial matters regarding his clothing business on Colfax Avenue, cocaine dealing and paying his defense lawyers.

Jurors, who requested the tapes in the jury room to listen again, ultimately agreed with the prosecution.

The foreman of the jury said once the panel listened to all the tapes in chronological order, jurors made up their minds.

"All the pieces fit into place," said the foreman, who declined to give his name.

The defense urged the jury not to believe Hicks' former inner circle of friends because they made deals with prosecutors in exchange for their testimony.

One of the witnesses, Daniel "Ponytail" Harris, could avoid a life sentence and get a five-year deal if a federal judge is persuaded by prosecutors that he cooperated with the government.


Felisa Cardona: 303-954-1219 or