A Lafayette County, Ark., man convicted of murder this week by a jury received a life sentence plus 15 years.
David McClendon, 33, of Stamps, Ark., was found guilty at the end of a four-day trial of killing Ricardo Martin, 28, at Martin's home July 15, 2016, in Stamps.
"I am very thankful to the jury for getting this 11-time convicted felon off the street for good," Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Black said. "Although he had been sentenced to 20 years plus an additional 10 years suspended some six years before this happened, because of the current state of parole, he was on the streets again. With a life sentence, we can guarantee no other family will have to go through what the Ricardo Martin family has gone through."
Martin was found dead the evening of July 15, 2016, in his home and had suffered gunshot wounds to his head and chest, according to a probable-cause affidavit used to create the following account. Two 9 mm shell casings were discovered, and partial bloody footprints were observed throughout the living room.
Witnesses who had seen McClendon at Martin's house the day of the shooting pointed investigators in McClendon's direction. Arkansas State Police Special Agents John Rhone and Scott Bradshaw went to McClendon's home in the 300 block of Market Street.
When the officers arrived, they found McClendon's pickup in the rear of the property behind the house near a small burn pile. Wet clothing was discovered in a wooded area behind the residence.
While looking in McClendon's truck, agents noticed the driver's side floor board appeared wet and to have been recently cleaned. A water hose nearby was still turned on and running.
McClendon's wife told investigators she had hidden a 9 mm handgun in a closet to keep it away from McClendon, who she reported had fired the gun while he was "passed out." McClendon's wife also reported that McClendon had fired the gun in a back room of the house several days before.
Investigators were able to collect a shell casing and spent bullet from McClendon's house to compare with evidence collected from the crime scene at Martin's house in the 1100 block of Hope Road in Stamps.
There is no possibility of parole from a life sentence in the state of Arkansas.