Pittsburgh, PA: Trial begins for man charged in wife's death

Trial begins for man charged in wife's death
By Rich Cholodofsky
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Testimony is slated to begin this morning in the first-degree murder trial of an Arnold man accused of killing his wife.

Jurors for the murder trial were selected Tuesday to hear evidence in the case against David Eugene Clarke, who is accused of attacking Doreena Clarke and shoving her down a flight of stairs in the couple's home on Jan. 17, 2009.

The prosecution is expected to ask that jurors find Clarke guilty of intentionally killing his wife of 13 years. If Clarke is convicted of first-degree murder he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Clarke, 42, has denied any involvement in his wife's death. In pre-trial hearings, defense attorney Dan Joseph has suggested the 40-year-old victim may have died when she fell down the stairs or was injured by another, unnamed person. David Clarke told police that he awoke and found his wife at the bottom of the steps.

Doreena Clarke, at the time of her death, had cocaine and barbiturates in her blood, according to the defense.

District Attorney John Peck has said the evidence against Clarke suggests that his wife was beaten and strangled before her body was propelled down the steps. Prosecutors are expected to show jurors evidence of a boot imprint that was found on Doreena Clarke's torso.

Investigators determined that print was similar to a boot that belonged to David Clarke.

Last week, Westmoreland County Judge Rita Hathaway issued a pre-trial ruling that will allow the prosecution to introduce evidence of the boot print.

Hathaway denied a defense motion to have jurors taken to Arnold to view the Clarke house and the stairs that they say is the scene of Doreena Clarke's death.

Her body was found at the bottom of the steps on the first floor of the Clarke home. Medical personnel arrived to find David Clarke attempting to resuscitate his wife.

The trial is expected to last about eight days.

Rich Cholodofsky can be reached at rcholodofsky@tribweb.com or 724-830-6293.