Terry D. Clark
Encyclopedia
Terry Doug Clark was convicted of the murder of nine-year-old Dena Lynn Gore. He was executed by the State
of New Mexico
by means of lethal injection
. He was the only person to be executed in New Mexico between the reinstatement
of the death penalty
in 1976 and its subsequent abolition within New Mexico in 2009.
and raping
a six-year-old girl from Roswell
in 1986. Pending appeal
s in that case, he was released on bond
. While out on bond, Clark drove to Artesia
on July 17, 1986 and kidnapped nine-year-old Dena Lynn Gore. He then raped her and finally killed her by shooting her in the back of her head three times. Dena's bound and decomposing body was found, partially buried, on a nearby ranch on July 22, 1986. A few days later, Clark was taken into custody and, while in jail, he confessed to a minister.
overturned the sentence in 1994, saying his constitutional rights had been violated and that he should be re-sentenced. During his re-sentencing in 1996, a second jury again decided that Clark should die for his crimes.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
by means of lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
. He was the only person to be executed in New Mexico between the reinstatement
Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia, Proffitt v. Florida, Jurek v. Texas, Woodson v. North Carolina, and Roberts v. Louisiana, 428 U.S. 153 , reaffirmed the United States Supreme Court's acceptance of the use of the death penalty in the United States, upholding, in particular, the death sentence imposed on Troy Leon...
of the death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in 1976 and its subsequent abolition within New Mexico in 2009.
Crimes
Terry Clark was convicted of kidnappingKidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and raping
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
a six-year-old girl from Roswell
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
in 1986. Pending appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
s in that case, he was released on bond
Bail bondsman
A bail bond agent, or bondsman, is any person or corporation that will act as a surety and pledge money or property as bail for the appearance of persons accused in court...
. While out on bond, Clark drove to Artesia
Artesia, New Mexico
Artesia is a city in Eddy County, New Mexico, United States, centered at the intersection of U.S. Route 82 and 285; the two highways serve as the city's Main Street and First Street, respectively...
on July 17, 1986 and kidnapped nine-year-old Dena Lynn Gore. He then raped her and finally killed her by shooting her in the back of her head three times. Dena's bound and decomposing body was found, partially buried, on a nearby ranch on July 22, 1986. A few days later, Clark was taken into custody and, while in jail, he confessed to a minister.
Trial
At his trial later that same year, Clark pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murder and was sentenced to death, but the New Mexico Supreme CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
The New Mexico Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution...
overturned the sentence in 1994, saying his constitutional rights had been violated and that he should be re-sentenced. During his re-sentencing in 1996, a second jury again decided that Clark should die for his crimes.
Execution
Clark waived his appeals in 1999 and was executed on November 6, 2001. This made him the only New Mexico inmate to be executed in 41 years and the first and only one to be executed by means of lethal injection. Nearly eight years later, on March 18, 2009, Governor Bill Richardson, after many struggles with the death penalty issues (he had been a supporter of capital punishment for years), finally signed a death penalty abolition bill into law. http://www.buzzflash.net/story.php?id=1007453See also
- List of individuals executed in New Mexico
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
Sources
- Terry D. Clark. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney. Accessed on 2007-11-05.
- State Executes Clark – 1st Execution in 41 years. New Mexico Corrections Department (2001-11-06). Archived from the original on 2002-10-08. Accessed on 2007-11-05.
- Joline Gutierrez Krueger. Child's killer dies: With two mystery words and gaze locked on warden, Clark succumbs in 8 minutes. The Albuquerque Tribune (2001-11-07). Archived from the original on 2002-02-10. Accessed on 2007-11-05.
- Joline Gutierrez Krueger. Two angry neighbors took on a child killer and the law. The Albuquerque Tribune (2001-11-08). Archived from the original on 2001-12-24. Accessed on 2007-11-05.