The Courier-Herald
Two weeks after a fatal stabbing in Black Diamond, police continue piecing together the stormy relationship of murder suspect David Clark and victim Sheila Sinclair.
The case - the first murder anyone can remember in the small community straddling state Route 169 - has occupied vast amounts of time in both the Black Diamond and Enumclaw police departments. In the days immediately following the May 21 incident, law enforcement personnel focused on collecting evidence, talking to witnesses and seeing that the 42-year-old Clark was formally charged by the King County Prosecutor's Office. A week after Sinclair's death, the focus shifted a bit and became more specific; instead of simply collecting evidence to support their belief that Clark killed his companion, police were looking for proof the act was premeditated.
Added to the mix was a concern for the welfare of Sinclair's two young boys, an 8-year-old son from a previous relationship and a 3-year-old fathered by Clark. According to Commander Christopher Hurst of the Black Diamond Police Department, the 8-year-old is now living with his biological father in Florida and the younger boy is still in western Washington, being cared for by his father's relatives. Both children, Hurst said, are receiving counseling.
In the days immediately following Sinclair's death Clark was held in the Enumclaw jail, and was then transferred to the King County Jail in Seattle. Late last week, he was still on the jail building's seventh floor on suicide watch, sitting in a special cell and being checked constantly. "Once he's no longer considered a danger to himself," Clark will be transferred to the Regional Justice Center, Hurst said.
The prosecutor's office filed a first-degree murder charge against Clark, upping the ante by adding a "deadly weapon" enhancement, Hurst said. Those found guilty of such a crime face a minimum prison sentence of 22 years and are not granted the same "good behavior" credits as other prisoners, Hurst said. On the other end of the sentencing spectrum, Clark could be looking at life behind bars if found guilty.
Hurst said he has received no indication that prosecutors are thinking of upgrading the Black Diamond stabbing to a capital crime, which could bring a death sentence. Prosecutors traditionally seek a death sentence only in the case of multiple homicides or the killing of a police officer in the line of duty.
A week after the May 21 incident, detectives from both Enumclaw and Black Diamond were continuing conversations with witnesses, friends and family members. Hurst said it appeared some were willing to come forward, convinced that Clark will be locked up for a long time. "People have been very forthcoming," he said.
Also, all the physical evidence - from blood-stained bedding to a smashed telephone - has been gathered.
"Now we start to focus on premeditation and motive," Hurst said. Police are determined to build as strong a case as possible and it appears the county prosecutor's office is thinking along the same line, Hurst said. "The sentencing difference is absolutely huge," Hurst explained, between first-degree murder with a deadly weapon and, say, second-degree murder.
Police have a pool of witnesses to talk to, but are looking to speak with those without direct ties to the events of May 21. "We're interested in talking to anyone who has been inside the residence in the last year or two, or had contact with the couple," Hurst said. Anyone with information to share can call the Black Diamond police at 253-631-1012 or phone Enumclaw detectives Steve Robinson or Heidi Hoffman at 360-825-3505.
Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com
