Charges filed in murder case
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 20, 2026
PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence following a three-month investigation that led to his arrest last week.
Clinton Laverne King, 46, was charged in Clallam County Superior Court in the death of Danny Steven Kendrick, 73, who was found Feb. 21 in the 6300 block of Deer Park Road east of Port Angeles.
King will be arraigned at 1 p.m. Friday before Judge Brent Basden. He was being held without bail on Tuesday at the Clallam County Jail.
Second-degree murder is a Class A felony, punishable by a maximum of life in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
King is being represented by defense attorney William Payne, who deferred discussions on conditions of release during Tuesday’s hearing.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Matthew Roberson argued successfully on Friday that King should be held without bail due to a number of factors, including the serious nature of the charges, that King has a “propensity for violence” and due to community safety concerns, according to court documents.
King’s criminal history dates back to 1993, when he was convicted of fourth-degree assault as a juvenile, according to court documents.
He was convicted in 2019 for possession or transportation with the intent to sell explosives without a license.
He also was convicted both in 2014 and in 2020 for second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and in 2002 for possession of a stolen firearm, court documents stated.
Three firearms were found during the execution of a search warrant on May 11 in the basement of a home in the 1300 block of West 16th Street, where King was living with his girlfriend, according to court documents.
Roberson also pointed to substance abuse, alleging that King smoked methamphetamine the night of the murder, court documents stated.
King also has a history of missing court appearances. Five failure-to-appear warrants had been issued in District Court between 2019 and 2023, according to court documents.
Kendrick died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head and also had multiple blunt force injuries that included facial abrasions, lacerations and contusions. He had multiple rib fractures in addition to fractures of the cervical and lumbar vertebrae, and lacerations of the right lung, liver and right adrenal gland, according to court documents.
Detectives believe Kendrick was killed at one scene and transported to another as he was found in the bed of his own pickup that was over an embankment off Deer Park Road.
DNA evidence from swabs on a black glove as well as the steering wheel and control arms of Kendrick’s truck were matched to King through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), according to court documents.
Investigators believe King and another man were on Kendrick’s property to steal lumber with the intention to resell it when Kendrick pulled up in his truck and intervened.
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Editor Brian McLean can be reached by email at brian.mclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
