A man accused of murdering his former girlfriend at Roby in 2018 after she was abducted from a Houston parking lot appears close to entering a guilty plea to reduced charges, according to court documents.
Kenneth R. Clark, 56, is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and kidnapping. He is accused of shooting Susan J. Campbell, 56, multiple times and then shooting himself. She was a military retiree who had previously worked for the National Security Agency. He was hospitalized in a St. Louis hospital, recovered and sent to the Texas County Jail, where he remains.
Clark is to appear in court on May 25 and could enter a guilty plea to second-degree murder and kidnapping charges. Texas County Prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr. said Clark is in declining health and the victim’s family is ready to put the tragedy behind them. Sentencing is planned for Aug. 1. If that doesn’t occur, Clark will stand trial beginning June 13 in Pulaski County.
Authorities said he forced Campbell, who had a restraining order against him, into a rental car on the Walmart Supercenter parking lot. Various law enforcement agencies scattered to search for the vehicle before it was found about two hours later near a Roby business at Highways 17 and 32. A witness said Clark, who was covered in blood, had reported that a woman was seriously injured. Authorities arrived and found the victim dead and Clark with a head wound. He was airlifted to the St. Louis hospital.
A separate crime scene was found at Lake Drive in the Roby Lake area, which is Mark Twain National Forest property. While processing that scene, officers found a handgun and several shell casings.