Terry Douglas Clark (May 17, 1956 – November 6, 2001) was an American murderer 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 Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...

. He was the first and only person to be executed in New Mexico between the

reinstatement In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or r ...

of the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

in 1976 and its subsequent abolition within New Mexico in 2009. The previous execution in New Mexico had been the

gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History Donatie ...

death of David Cooper Nelson on August 11, 1960.

Early life

Clark was born on May 17, 1956, in

Roswell, New Mexico Roswell () is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,422 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fi ...

. His childhood was described as ordinary, until his junior year in high school, when he began drinking and smoking marijuana. He was suspended from Roswell High School for

truancy Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorized, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will and usually does not refer to legitimate excused absences, such as ones related to medic ...

, before dropping out altogether. Around that same time, he began taking

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

, LSD, heroin, and cocaine. He later earned a

GED Ged or GED may refer to: Places * Ged, Louisiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * Ged, a village in Bichiwara Tehsil, Dungarpur District, Rajasthan, India * Delaware Coastal Airport, in Delaware, US, callsign GED People * Ged B ...

and went to work for a bus building company, but was fired from the job within a year. He then went to work for a construction company before joining the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

at the age of twenty.

Crimes

In 1986, Clark was convicted of kidnapping and raping a 6-year-old girl from Roswell, New Mexico, and sentenced to 24 years in prison. Pending appeals in that case, he was released on bond. While he was out on bond in that case, 9-year-old Dena Lynn Gore of

Artesia, New Mexico Artesia is a city in Eddy County, New Mexico, centered at the intersection of U.S. routes 82 and 285; the two highways serve as the city's Main Street and First Street, respectively. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 12,875. His ...

, was raped and killed on July 17, 1986. Gore's bound and decomposing body was found partially buried on a nearby ranch on July 22, 1986. Gore had been shot three times in the back of her head.Krueger, Joline Gutierrez. . ''The Albuquerque Tribune'' (November 7, 2001). Archived fro
the original
on February 10, 2002. Accessed on November 5, 2007. A few days later, Clark was taken into custody and he confessed to a minister while in jail.

Trial and appeals

In 1986, public defenders Sheila Lewis and Steve Aarons were assigned to represent Clark. In a rare legal maneuver, Clark pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in hopes of being sentenced before Governor

Toney Anaya Toney Anaya (born April 29, 1941) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 26th governor of New Mexico from 1983 to 1987. Early life and career Anaya was born on in Moriarty, New Mexico. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree fro ...

completed his term of office. However, District Judge Stanley F. Frost refused to hold a sentencing hearing before Anaya's last day in office. As a result, Clark was not among the five men on death row whose death sentences were commuted by Anaya to life in prison. The following year, a jury in

Tucumcari, New Mexico Tucumcari (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,278 at the 2020 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was established. History In 1901, the Chicag ...

, returned with a death sentence against Clark. In 1994, the

New 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. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal ...

overturned that sentence, found reversible error related to the first jury's understanding of the meaning of life in prison, and mandated a new sentencing hearing. In 1996, prominent New Mexico capital defense lawyer Gary Mitchell represented Clark at his retrial in

Silver City, New Mexico Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704. History ...

. Aarons and Anaya were among dozens of witnesses who testified on behalf of Clark. Anaya explained why he would have commuted Clark's sentence if he had the legal authority to do so. The second jury also returned a death sentence.

Execution

Clark waived his appeals in 1999 and was executed on November 6, 2001. Six officers were assigned to 24 hour "death watch" shifts. During these final two weeks, Clark received visits from attorneys, clergy, and his girlfriend. He requested Long John Silver's fish and shrimp as his

last meal A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be. Contemporary restrictions in the United States Contrary to the common belief t ...

; he did not want dessert. At exactly 7:00 p.m. on November 6, 2001, he was escorted from his cell to the death chamber, visibly shaken and mildly sobbing. The team assisted him as his whole body was trembling. He was strapped down to the table and an I.V. was inserted. The warden and clergy had brief words with him. Warden Tim LeMaster read the death warrant and asked Clark if he had any last words, to which he replied, "15 minutes". The curtains were opened for the witnesses (20 as per state law) and the drugs were injected. Clark was pronounced dead eight minutes later. The witnesses were escorted out of the facility and the body released to the medical examiner. This made him the first inmate in New Mexico to be executed in 41 years and the only one to be executed by lethal injection.. ''New Mexico Corrections Department'' (2001-11-06). Archived fro
the original
on 2002-10-08. Accessed on November 5, 2007. On March 18, 2009, Governor

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (November 15, 1947 – September 1, 2023) was an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the List of governors of New Mexico, 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was U.S. ambassador to ...

signed a death penalty abolition bill into law. He had been a supporter of capital punishment for years, but said that he lacked confidence in the current system to make the final decision on who lives and who dies.

References

External links