State v. Clark

WILLIAM RAY PRICE, JR., Judge.

I. Introduction

In April 2010, Jermane Clark was convicted of first degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the death of Morris Thompson. The prosecution’s case against Clark depended principally on the testimony of two witnesses. First, Glenn Shelby claimed to have given the murder weapon to Clark. Second, Maurice Payne claimed to have been an eyewitness to the murder.

Previously, Payne had pleaded guilty to unrelated charges before the same judge who presided over Clark’s murder trial. Payne’s decision to testify in Clark’s case was not…