Thread: Killer says he intended suicide

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Posted on Wed, Feb. 08, 2006

Killer says he intended suicide
Stephen Mark Clarke said five shots "went off accidently," killing his estranged girlfriend.By Kathleen Brady SheaInquirer Staff WriterA murder defendant testified yesterday that he planned to kill himself, not his ex-girlfriend, when he broke into her Pocopson Township home days before Christmas 2003.

Stephen Mark Clarke, 45, described a magnetic attraction between himself and Juliann Thompson, 37, whom he met in March 2003 - a relationship of extreme "highs and lows" that ultimately turned fatal.

On Dec. 21, 2003, prosecutors say Clarke drove to Thompson's house, kicked in the door, and shot Thompson five times as her 18-year-old daughter, Brittney Whittle, watched in horror.

At issue for Chester County President Judge Paula Francisco Ott in the non-jury trial is whether Clarke acted with specific intent to kill, a prerequisite for first-degree murder, punishable by life without parole, or whether he is guilty of third-degree murder, which carries a 20-to 40-year jail term.

Clarke, an illegal immigrant from England, testified that he came to the United States about 10 years ago in search of opportunity and began a successful construction company. He said he moved in with Thompson within three weeks of meeting her, though he had been engaged to someone else.

By April, they applied for a marriage license, Clarke testified. The relationship started to deteriorate several months later, and he moved out in December. On Dec. 20, Clarke said Thompson told him she was seeking a restraining order, which put him at risk for deportation.
Clarke said he made a tape recording the next morning in which he apologized in advance for his actions. Calling Thompson "the love of my life, and the ruination of it," he decried the restraining order.

Questioned by Assistant Public Defender Susanna E. Dewese, Clarke said he had been drinking when he went to Thompson's residence. He said the gun "went off accidentally" when he tried to enter Brittney's bedroom, where Thompson had fled.

Clarke said he wanted to kill himself in front of Thompson so that she would have to live with the stigma. Under cross-examination by Assistant District Attorney Mark Conte, Clarke stumbled over the five bullets.

"I just kept shooting the gun, I guess," he said.

On Monday, Brittney Whittle testified that she was awakened by her mother's scream. "I'd never seen her so scared - like she knew what was going to happen," Whittle said.
She said Clarke barged into the room, pointed the gun at her, told her to shut up, and fired at Thompson.
"I remember it clear as day," Whittle said, straining to maintain her composure.

In his closing argument, First Assistant Public Defender Nathan M. Schenker argued that Clarke's actions suggested he was impaired by alcohol and planned his own demise.
Conte said Clarke showed no signs of intoxication and never claimed the shooting was accidental. "We're hearing that for the first time today," Conte said.

The judge said she will issue her verdict tomorrow.
After the hearing, Thompson's friends and relatives expressed sadness that the judge could only view Thompson through the eyes of her killer.

"She was beautiful in every way. She lit up the room," said her sister, Rhonda Thompson Hartman. "People were drawn to her, and she formed lifelong friendships."

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/13836714.htm

Posted on Fri, Feb. 10, 2006



Man guilty of killing ex-girlfriend
The judge said his "accident" claim was bogus and gave him life without parole.
By Kathleen Brady Shea
Inquirer Staff Writer

A British man who came to the United States seeking a better life will spend the rest of it in prison after being found guilty yesterday of the first-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend.

Chester County Court President Judge Paula Francisco Ott said she reviewed the evidence against Stephen Mark Clarke, including a digital recording made hours before the murder and Clarke's 911 call.

Clarke, 45, of Chadds Ford, showed no emotion as the judge explained her verdict, which capped a two-day hearing to determine whether the crime was premeditated.

Although Clarke never denied breaking into the Pocopson Township home of Juliann Thompson, 37, on Dec. 21, 2003, and firing five bullets into her, he insisted the shooting was accidental.

The judge said Clarke's actions belied his testimony that he intended to kill himself in front of Thompson so that she would have to live with the guilt and stigma.

"He could have done so in the car... or on her doorstep," the judge said. "He did neither."

The judge also dismissed Clarke's contention that alcohol diminished his faculties.

"There's no evidence the defendant was so intoxicated that he was unable to form the specific intent to kill," Ott said, citing Clarke's coherent speech on the recordings.

Clarke, who started a successful construction business, testified that Thompson told him the day before the shooting that she was seeking a restraining order against him. He said her decision angered him and could have meant his deportation because he was an illegal immigrant.

Before the judge imposed the mandatory life-without-parole sentence, Clarke addressed about 15 of Thompson's friends and relatives, including her daughter, Brittney Whittle, 20, who witnessed the killing.

"I cannot ask you to forgive me or even pity me," he said. "I am to blame for Juliann's death."

Clarke said he shared the family's loss and doubted that his pain could console them. "The world is a sadder place for not having her here," he said.

Rhonda Thompson Hartman, one of the victim's sisters, spoke on behalf of the family, stressing that Juliann's joyful spirit would remain "at the center of our family."

Another sister, Jeanne McLaughlin, said the family was not impressed by Clarke's contrition, which came too late. "He couldn't say anything that would make us feel better," she said.


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Contact staff writer Kathleen Brady Shea at 610-701-7625 or kbrady@phillynews.com.

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