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 solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...

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

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

in 1976 and its subsequent abolition within New Mexico in 2009. The previous execution in New Mexico had been the gas chamber 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, seat of, Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Chaves County forms the entirety of the List of micropolitan areas in New Mexico, Roswell micropolitan area. As of ...

. 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, 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 and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

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

GED The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...

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, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

at the age of twenty.

Crimes

In 1986, Clark was convicted of kidnapping and raping a six-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, nine-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 2010 census, the city population was 11,301. Hist ...

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 Bacheor of Arts degree from ...

completed his term of office. However, District Judge Stanley F. Frost refused to hold a sentence 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, Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,278 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay Count ...

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 decisi ...

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. 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 In the United States, most states gi ...

; 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 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