Port Angeles man pleads not guilty to murder

Published 3:30 pm Friday, May 22, 2026

PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence during an arraignment hearing in Clallam County Superior Court.

Attorney William Payne entered the plea on behalf of Clinton Laverne King, 46, before Judge Elizabeth Stanley on Friday afternoon.

A trial date was scheduled for July 20 and a status hearing was set for 1 p.m. June 12.

King was charged Wednesday in the death of Danny Steven Kendrick, 73, who was found in the bed of his pickup over an embankment on Feb. 21 in the 6300 block of Deer Park Road east of Port Angeles.

King was being held without bail on Friday 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.

Court documents also state King was charged with the special allegation of being armed with a firearm, the minimum penalty for which is an additional five years for a first offense.

A special allegation also includes a vulnerable victim who was incapable of resistance, according to court documents.

Tampering with evidence — in this case, concealing or removing physical evidence from Kendrick’s truck with the intent to impair its appearance — is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of 364 days in jail and/or a $5,000 fine, according to court documents.

Investigators believe King and another man were on Kendrick’s property to steal lumber with the intent to resell it when Kendrick pulled up in his truck and intervened.

Kendrick died of two gunshot wounds to the head and also had multiple blunt force injuries that included facial abrasions, lacerations and contusions. He also 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 a separate location, where he was found in the bed of his pickup that was over an embankment.

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 expect additional evidence will be presented after it’s analyzed by the State Patrol crime lab.

King was arrested last week following a three-month investigation that included 45 search warrants, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.

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Editor Brian McLean can be reached by email at brian.mclean@peninsuladailynews.com.