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Aurora man charged with kidnapping, murder of 18-year-old found in Chicago

An Aurora man has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of Clarence King, an 18-year-old from Aurora whose beaten body was found in a Chicago backyard July 16, 2016.

Anthony W. Bills, 39, of the 700 block of Fifth Avenue, faces five counts of first-degree murder, along with kidnapping and mob action charges, in the death of King, according to Kane County court records.

Bills has been held on an unrelated charge at the Kane County jail since late July.

The charges were authorized by Kane County prosecutors this week. Bills' bail has been set at $5.08 million, meaning he must post $508,000 to be released while the case is pending.

Aurora police said King, of the 0-99 block of North Sumner Avenue, and Bills were part of a large fight at 8 p.m. July 15 in the parking lot of an apartment complex on the 900 block of North Second Avenue.

"As officers arrived on scene, many of those who were either involved in the fight or who were watching it, including King, ran from the scene," Aurora Police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said in an email. "Shortly after leaving, King was seen by Bills and several other men involved in the original fight and was subsequently beaten unconscious. Bills and the men placed King in the trunk of Bills' 2002 Lincoln Continental, drove to Chicago, and dumped him in the 4500 block of West End Avenue."

King's body was found at 9 a.m. the next day on West End Avenue in the city's West Garfield Park area. The Cook County Medical Examiner later ruled King died of injuries suffered in an assault.

Ferrelli said Bills fled to Tennessee shortly after the murder and detectives located his car there. Police seized the vehicle in November after obtaining search warrants, brought it back to Aurora and processed it for evidence.

Ferrelli said Bills surfaced as a suspect early in the investigation, and credited information received from the public as a "major factor" in securing the charges, in addition to good detective work.

The investigation is ongoing and authorities believe the murder was gang related, Ferrelli said.

Bills' next court date was not immediately available. If convicted of murder, he faces 20 to 60 years in prison with no chance of early release.

People with information about the case should call Aurora police at (630) 256-5500 or CrimeStoppers at (630) 892-1000, which is offering a $5,000 reward.

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