Joseph Lewis Clark

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For other persons named Joseph Clark, see Joseph Clark (disambiguation).

Joseph Lewis Clark, (15 January 1949 – May 2, 2006), was executed by the State of Ohio. He was the 21st person executed by Ohio since the state resumed executions in 1999. Clark was sentenced to die on November 28, 1984 for the murder of 22-year-old David Manning during a gas station hold-up in Toledo.

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[edit] Details of Clark's crime

When Clark entered a Toledo gas station station at approximately 9:00 p.m. on January 13, 1984, he had his .32 caliber revolver drawn. He demanded money and the attendant, David A. Manning, handed him the money out of the cash register. After receiving the money, Clark claimed that this was not all of the money Manning had. Manning then proceeded to give him an envelope and it was at this point that Clark shot him. Sixty dollars were stolen by Clark in the hold-up.

On January 16, 1984, Clark was arrested after allegedly committing an assault and robbery at an Ohio bank. The arresting officer found a .32 caliber revolver in Clark's coat pocket. The next day, Clark, aware that he was a suspect in the Manning murder, tried to hang himself in his jail cell. On January 23, 1984, he was released from the hospital and taken to the Toledo Police Detective Bureau where he was read his Miranda rights and subsequently confessed to the murder of Manning after his Miranda rights were again recited to him.

Following Clark's indictment for Manning's murder, Clark challenged the voluntariness of his statement to the police, and an evidentiary hearing was held on the issue. At the suppression hearing, a psychiatrist testified on behalf of Clark. Although the psychiatrist had not examined Clark, he had reviewed the medical records from the hospitalization following Clark's suicide attempt, as well as Clark's juvenile records, various police documents, and the court's diagnostic and treatment reports. Based on a review of these records, he noted that Clark's mental function would be considered "borderline defective" based on his reported I.Q. of 75. He also concluded that Clark suffered from acute brain damage and chronic impairment of his mental functioning at the time of his confession (apparently as a result of Clark's recent suicide attempt). The psychiatrist testified that Clark's impaired mental condition would have interfered with his ability to make choices in an informed and reasonable manner and would have rendered him more susceptible to pressure or duress from others.

The prosecution offered in response the testimony of the officers who interrogated Clark and the testimony of Clark's attending physician, who concluded that, from a medical-neurological standpoint, Clark was capable of making a decision on waiving his rights. Following the suppression hearing, the state trial court determined that Clark voluntarily and knowingly waived his right against self-incrimination. Clark's confession was subsequently introduced at trial.

[edit] Notable execution

Clark's execution was notable for a number of reasons. He spent 21 years and 5 months on death row, making him one of the longest-serving inmates between sentencing and execution. He also gave the longest (10 minutes) final statement according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Clark's execution also was most notable and controversial because it took officials nearly 90 minutes to complete the process. The problems began when the staff was unable to find two suitable veins to attach the IV lines leading to the lethal chemicals. Clark had an extensive history as an intravenous drug user, making his veins weak and brittle. Under the state's execution protocol, two veins were required with the second serving as backup should the main line fail. After unsuccessfully trying to find a suitable second site for nearly 30 minutes, the staff opted to move ahead with only the single main line.

Shortly after the chemicals began flowing Clark shouted, "It don't work. It don't work.", and attempted to raise his head and upper body, according to witnesses. The director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Terry Collins, on just his second day as head of the department, ordered the curtain to the visitors' gallery closed while execution team members strived to find another suitable vein. It took another 40 minutes before the second vein was found and the execution continued. By 11:26 a.m. Clark was dead.

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