A 49āyearāold Arizona man stands accused of killing his pregnant wife, allegedly stabbing her in the chest and then running her over inside their garage before claiming to deputies that he ālashed outā after years of ātorture.ā
JosephāÆJayāÆClark was taken into custody last week and faces two counts of secondādegree murder for the death of his 39āyearāold wife, Noelle Clark, and their unborn child, officials said.
According to a press release from the Pima County Sheriffās Office, deputies responded to a domesticādisturbance call at a home on the 17000 block of South Ridgerunner Drive in Vail around 6:30āÆp.m. on Oct.āÆ9. When they arrived, they saw JosephāÆClark leaving the house and detained him without incident.
After searching the residence, deputies discovered Noelle Clark with an apparent gunshot wound and pronounced her dead at the scene. Their two children, ages three and four, were found unharmed inside the home.
While the sheriffās office initially described Noelleās injury as a gunshot wound, an interim criminal complaint obtained by Tucson CBS affiliate KOLD detailed markedly different injuries.
The complaint reported that Noelle lay beneath a blanket in the garage, showing clear head trauma and a deep chest wound consistent with a stabbing. It also noted obvious signs of pregnancy.
Investigators recovered a bloodāstained knife from the childrenās bedroom, according to the complaint.
Evidence gathered inside the home suggested that JosephāÆClark may have contemplated ādisposing of [his wifeās] remains,ā the complaint added.
The reports do not explain why the early gunshot description conflicts with the later injury details, and the sheriffās office has not yet responded to requests for clarification.
During his arrest, JosephāÆClark told deputies he had endured electric shocks from his wife over several years, saying, āI was shocked, thatās what caused [this].ā
Deputies, however, found no signs of injury or torture on JosephāÆClark.
Tucson NBC affiliate KVOA reported that Noelle also bore bloody tire marks on her arm, indicating she may have been run over.
The Clark children were placed under the care of the Arizona Department of Child Safety, as reported by Phoenix Fox affiliate KSAZ.
Clark made his first court appearance on Oct.āÆ10, when a judge set his bond at $1āÆmillion. He is slated to return for another hearing on Oct.āÆ20.
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