Man charged with 1978 Ballard rape and murder tries to enter a surprise plea
A man charged in the slaying of a Seattle girl 29 years ago apparently tried to plead no contest during his arraignment this morning, but a King County Superior Court judge postponed the hearing.
Clarence Edward Williams’ attempted plea surprised his attorney Carey Huffman, who requested more time to speak with his client. Judge Helen Halpert halted the arraignment until Wednesday morning.
Williams, 62, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Sara Beth Lundquist, who was found raped and murdered not far from her Ballard home in 1978. By pleading no contest, a defendant is essentially notifying the court that he will not contest the charge of a particular crime. While technically not an admission of guilt, the judge could treat the plea as an admission and proceed to find the defendant guilty as charged.
Until recently, Williams was in prison in Minnesota, having been convicted of murdering a convenience-store clerk in 1978 on Seattle’s Beacon Hill. A security video helped bring a conviction and his DNA was entered into the state Department of Corrections data bank.
That, say prosecutors, was the lucky break that helped police charge Williams with the nearly 30-year-old Lundquist slaying. Williams has been held out of state due to the crowding in Washington prisons, but was brought back to Washington recently to face charges in Lundquist’s death.
Williams’ DNA, according to the charging documents, was found on Lundquist’s body.
Lundquist, a student at Ingraham High School, and a girlfriend went to a movie in July 1978 and took the bus home, parting company not far from Lundquist’s Ballard home, according to news stories at the time.
Lundquist never made it home and her mother called police to report her missing the next day. As she was making the report, the officer received a call about a homicide victim being found in a restroom at a service station on Leary Way, not far from the Lundquist’s home.
The body turned out to be Lundquist’s.
Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com