James Clark was executed by the State of Delaware for the murders of his adoptive parents
According to court documents James Clark was released early from prison where he spent time for attempting to murder a three year old girl. Clark would then murder his adoptive parents a month after he was released in hopes of getting his inheritance early: Elizabeth and James B. Clark Sr
James Clark would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
James Clark would be executed by lethal injection on April 19 1996
James Clark Case
A man who spent most of his life behind bars was executed by injection today for killing his adoptive parents in May 1994, a month after getting out of prison early for good behavior.
The man, James B. Clark Jr., 39, was pronounced dead at 12:20 A.M. at the Delaware Correctional Center near here.
Mr. Clark shot his father, James B. Clark Sr., 72, twice in the head and twice in the chest as he sat in a chair in their home. He then went upstairs and shot his mother, Elizabeth Clark, 71, in the head as she lay in bed.
Within a month, Mr. Clark, who had been jailed for violating probation, confessed. He pleaded guilty and refused to appeal his sentence. Prosecutors said he killed his parents for insurance money because he could not make it on his own
Mr. Clark had a violent past. The sentencing judge noted that he had been expelled from two preschools and severely beat a second-grade classmate. Then there was a long period of psychological counseling and special schools.
In 1973, when he was 16, Mr. Clark abducted a 3-year-old girl, choked tried to strangle her and, then left her for dead. For that attack, he served served 21 years of a 30-year sentence before being released in April 1994.
His early release from prison was based on credits for good behavior, even though he failed to participate in any rehabilitative programs and was repeatedly disciplined for fighting and breaking prison rules.
The deaths of Mr. Clark’s parents prompted an outcry over the state’s early release procedures, and legislation is pending to eliminate unearned “good time.”
Just before he was executed, James Clark yelled to his lawyer, Jerome Capone, “Hey, Jerry, hey listen, my soul is free, man. I’m in no more pain, you know. Thanks for everything, all right?”
