Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Small Town Murder


March 16, 2008.
Man fatally stabs Grandmother in Weston, MA.

(NECN: Brad Puffer, Waltham, Mass.) - A murder has shocked people in an affluent Boston suburb. A Boston man is charged with stabbing his grandmother to death in her home in Weston, Massachusetts. 22-year-old James Clark appeared in Waltham District Court today to face murder charges.
Clark is now charged in the murder of his 80-year-old grandmother, Eleanor Clark. Police say Clark stabbed his grandmother inside her Weston, Massachusetts home Sunday evening. It is the first homicide in Weston in more than 3 decades.
"There was an altercation there which resulted in James Clark stabbing his grandmother to death," says Gerry Leone, Middlesex DA.
Clark visited his grandmother’s house Sunday afternoon. He later showed up at a neighbors house with blood on his hands.
"The trail of blood led to the next door neighbor’s home. The neighbors learned that the trail of blood was from an injury to James McGuire Clark’s hand. He went to his neighbors house and said he had suffered the injury in a home accident.
District Attorney Gerry Leone says after being treated at a hospital, he showed up at a friend’s house, and apparently told them what happened.
"After telling his friends what happened, they called 911 to a report that a crime had been committed."
Clark appeared in Waltham district court Monday with a Shakespeare and Co. T-shirt and a bandage on his right hand. Prosecutors say Clark is a citizen of the UK but has been living in the US since he was two years old, most recently at a halfway house in Boston. His mother recently moved back to England.

What's going on in my little town? First, torrid and steamy stories of extra-curricular sexcapades with the service tech and now this? Let's just say the "joint is jumping". Talk of the first murder in 33 years sent this small community abuzz yesterday, with TV news trucks sprinkled all over town.
The Daily Dandy roving reporter spoke to neighbors who stated that James M. Clark, a drifter from Dorchester, was well known in the neighborhood and "seemed like a nice kid".

"I drove bye the house last night around 10pm and saw lights on in the house, " the neighbor said. "I thought that was a little late, you know, unusual for her, but I dismissed it."

Apparently, James Clark stabbed his grandmother to death after an altercation with her in the kitchen of her home. Police found the bloodied body of Eleanor Clark under the kitchen table in the breakfast nook with multiple stab wounds on her neck and face; her throat had been slashed. A bloody folding knife was found on the kitchen table and police then followed a trail of blood to the next-door neighbor's house. James Clark told the neighbor he had cut his hand slicing fruit in the kitchen, and the neighbor then drove him to the hospital for treatment. Clark then took a cab to a friends house in Newton, where he apparently confessed to the murder and a 911 call was made to police by his friends.
Clark told police he was "sorry for making them look at his grandmother like that and then requested that police give him a gun so he could shoot himself." Clark is in police custody and on suicide watch.

It's unsettling to think that less that 3 miles away from where my children sleep, a horrific crime like this took place. The Daily Dandy roving reporter will keep you updated on the latest on the story.

21 comments:

Candi said...

Isn't that scary! I saw the story on the news last night and thought that James Clark looked like any other guy you could run into anywhere and not think twice about him!

What a tragedy!

Anonymous said...

You gotta get out more. Stuff happens everywhere. Even though I live in a real quiet part of town, there was a nearby mafia dumping ground. I musta past this one dead body on my way to the busstop a several dozen times. Never saw the darned thing. It wasn't even buried, just covered in fallen foliage and moss and stuff. Bushes were so thick nobody ever saw it until the land was appropriated and turned into a residential development. The story barely made the papers. The quiet towns keep the noise of out of the news as much as possible.

Joanie said...

We had 2 incidences of murder/suicides in our development about 19 years ago, and other assorted crimes in a 1 year span. And this was a "Good" neighborhood.

OH! This is too weird! my word verification is griestr and in 1978, in our town, a man named Richard Griest killed his pregnant wife, cut their unborn son out of her, injured one of his daughter's and killed the family cat. He's been locked up in an asylum ever since.

Lisa said...

It's very scary when it hits so close to home. :(

Be safe!

Sassy Britches said...

My word! I think I like the possibility of schtupping the serviceperson better than being stabbed! I don't want to turn you into an always-looking-over-you-shoulder gal, but be safe!

The Dental Maven said...

Another case of signs being missed. And adds to my theory that everyone is "harmless" until the first time they hurt someone.

SkylersDad said...

One day they will describe me as "A quiet neighbor and a good man" as I am led out in cuffs with raw meat still in my mouth.

Wait, did I just say that out loud?

Cora said...

Aw, Candy, I'm so sorry. There's nothing quite like having your hometown shaken up like that is there? We went through that a couple years ago in my little suburb - first a policeman was gunned down by a druggie and then an airplane crashed right into the elementary school about three blocks from my house (no-one was in the school at the time! Only the pilot perished) Talk about a media frenzy. Camera crews were everywhere for weeks! Yuck.

Slyde said...

one more incident like this and you guys can have your own mini-series...

steenky bee said...

Eeek. You always think this type of thing happens somewhere else, don't you? I'm so sorry. It makes you thankful for what you have.

Heff said...

We just had a nutjob off 11 people including himself in the lower region of our state last week. People are NUTZ.

Fancy Schmancy said...

People are crazy, and you will find that even though this happened in your neck of the woods, the people creating the chaos often aren't from there. I hope this helps you sleep at night.

Thirtysomething said...

WTF???? Murder in general, but your grandmother? Seriously? WOW! The town i just moved from was like that- or at least the Neighboring town. Murders would hit the front page, and never be heard of again.......... like some kind of 'happy world' that doesn't want the pitchforks out so they hide it, I'm sorry you had to deal with it, i hope the stupid bastard gets a long slow ride to hell, without the handbasket!

seetodream said...

TO BAMBI: do not call him a "stupid bastard." you have no clue what you are talking about. i am a good friend of james' and this is just as shocking to me as it is to perfect strangers. do not judge the situation before knowing the details.. the dynamics of this tragedy are far more complicated than you can comprehend and it pains me to see people wishing that james goes to hell. those who aren't part of this should not have any opinion because they simply don't know. it hurts so much to see all this judgment put upon him. yes, he did something terrible, but he deserves the same support and help that he needed before more so than ever now. i beg of everyone to please just keep their judgments and opinions private, because for those of us in the middle of this it is too hard to see all this public opinion.

Furtheron said...

Hmm - given we're heading your way for our holiday - sorry - vacation this summer should I be concerned? :-)

Liz said...

I knew James and his family for several years when he was at the beginning of his "downward spiral". I have a phychology degree and spent pretty much ever day of the summer for three summers with James. Sure he was a tiny bit quirky but was also very sweet and interested in how I was/ what was going on in my life. No one ever could have imagined that this would happen. I just ask people to think past his actions and ponder what happened to James to get himto the point that he could kill the grandmother he loved so dearly.

amanda dove said...

canyone tell me if eleanor clark was originally from the UK , i have been trying to locate eleanor from uk originally born in Doncaster .

nay information would be greatly recieved

Sumyiaa Gbomene said...

MAD DOG a.k.a Punymurtula Kidhore MD and Lil Dog a.k.a. Carl Smith L.M.H.C. are responsible for the death of Eleanor Clark of Weston , Massachusetts.
Just look at what happen to James Clark .
James Clark was a client at the same address where the Director/Manager Carl Smith resided at ,50 Draper Street in Dorchester MA. Carl Smith is suppose to be a state licensed Mental Health Clinician , If so , than why did he discharge James Clark ? James clark never tested postive for a toxicology screen for illegal or prescription drugs, than why was he discharged ?
He was discharged for behavioral and attitude problems that were related to his psychiatric and substance abuse diagnosis. Carl Smith L.M.H.C. should have been able to detect that this man had psychological problems and referred him for treatment to MAD DOG aka Punyamurtula Kishore s Neurological Clinic for treatment and to help James Clark get back on his psychiatric medication. Instead , Carl Smith discharged him and the following day , James Clark murdered his 81 year old grandmother Eleanor Clark in Weston Massachusetts ,Carl Smith collected his program fee and MAD DOG billed his insurance company

Sumyiaa Gbomene said...

MAD DOG a.k.a Punymurtula Kidhore MD and Lil Dog a.k.a. Carl Smith L.M.H.C. are responsible for the death of Eleanor Clark of Weston , Massachusetts.
Just look at what happen to James Clark .
James Clark was a client at the same address where the Director/Manager Carl Smith resided at ,50 Draper Street in Dorchester MA. Carl Smith is suppose to be a state licensed Mental Health Clinician , If so , than why did he discharge James Clark ? James clark never tested postive for a toxicology screen for illegal or prescription drugs, than why was he discharged ?
He was discharged for behavioral and attitude problems that were related to his psychiatric and substance abuse diagnosis. Carl Smith L.M.H.C. should have been able to detect that this man had psychological problems and referred him for treatment to MAD DOG aka Punyamurtula Kishore s Neurological Clinic for treatment and to help James Clark get back on his psychiatric medication. Instead , Carl Smith discharged him and the following day , James Clark murdered his 81 year old grandmother Eleanor Clark in Weston Massachusetts ,Carl Smith collected his program fee and MAD DOG billed his insurance company

Sumyiaa Gbomene said...

MAD DOG a.k.a Punymurtula Kidhore MD and Lil Dog a.k.a. Carl Smith L.M.H.C. are responsible for the death of Eleanor Clark of Weston , Massachusetts.
Just look at what happen to James Clark .
James Clark was a client at the same address where the Director/Manager Carl Smith resided at ,50 Draper Street in Dorchester MA. Carl Smith is suppose to be a state licensed Mental Health Clinician , If so , than why did he discharge James Clark ? James clark never tested postive for a toxicology screen for illegal or prescription drugs, than why was he discharged ?
He was discharged for behavioral and attitude problems that were related to his psychiatric and substance abuse diagnosis. Carl Smith L.M.H.C. should have been able to detect that this man had psychological problems and referred him for treatment to MAD DOG aka Punyamurtula Kishore s Neurological Clinic for treatment and to help James Clark get back on his psychiatric medication. Instead , Carl Smith discharged him and the following day , James Clark murdered his 81 year old grandmother Eleanor Clark in Weston Massachusetts ,Carl Smith collected his program fee and MAD DOG billed his insurance company

Sumyiaa said...

MAD DOG a.k.a Punymurtula Kidhore MD and Lil Dog a.k.a. Carl Smith L.M.H.C. are responsible for the death of Eleanor Clark of Weston , Massachusetts.
Just look at what happen to James Clark .
James Clark was a client at the same address where the Director/Manager Carl Smith resided at ,50 Draper Street in Dorchester MA. Carl Smith is suppose to be a state licensed Mental Health Clinician , If so , than why did he discharge James Clark ? James clark never tested postive for a toxicology screen for illegal or prescription drugs, than why was he discharged ?
He was discharged for behavioral and attitude problems that were related to his psychiatric and substance abuse diagnosis. Carl Smith L.M.H.C. should have been able to detect that this man had psychological problems and referred him for treatment to MAD DOG aka Punyamurtula Kishore s Neurological Clinic for treatment and to help James Clark get back on his psychiatric medication. Instead , Carl Smith discharged him and the following day , James Clark murdered his 81 year old grandmother Eleanor Clark in Weston Massachusetts ,Carl Smith collected his program fee and MAD DOG billed his insurance company