Man gets life term in wife’s death

Custody dispute led to murder

Ashtabula – Ralph Clark said he killed his wife, Carolyn, last May because he could not handle the pressure of her fleeing the state with his youngest children.

“That made me snap,” Clark, 50, said at his sentencing Wednesday in Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court.

The father of 13 children will spend life in prison with no parole for 28 years for beating his wife to death with a rifle.

“She was a beautiful personality, but inside she was a monster,” said Clark. “I loved her, but she had everyone fooled.”

Clark pleaded guilty last week to aggravated murder.

He blamed the Juvenile Court system for removing his five youngest children after his wife complained about cult-like practices and discipline at the Apostolic Faith Church Body of Jesus Christ of the Newborn Assembly.

She planned to move to Virginia and hoped to convince Clark to leave the church as well, her lawyer said.

“She was snatching my kids and moving out of state. I couldn’t handle that,” Clark said. “It would be unbearable for any human being to lose their children.”

Michael Butts, Carolyn’s older brother, said Clark’s justification is ridiculous.

“His attorney said he was frustrated. So what? Murder is still not an option,” Butts said. “He is the monster.”

Ashtabula County Prosecutor Thomas Sartini said Clark used murder to resolve a custody dispute.

“Whoever she was, she did not deserve to have her brains beat out in front of her children,” Sartini said.

“Those kids will never ever forget how their mother died.”

Common Pleas Judge Ronald Vettel said the youngest children, now in foster homes, are the real victims.

“The horror is indelibly etched in their minds,” he said.

“If you are going to pray for anything, pray for them.”

Read Another Article

Dissatisfied Jews, Christians share ideas on ‘emergent’ faith
U.S. has deliberate policy of torture, rights group says

Related News Articles Topic(s): Carolyn Clark Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Carolyn Clark Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog