Jury returns guilty verdict in Sandy Valley man’s murder trial

BARSTOW — After a trial full of reversals and two weeks of deliberations, a Barstow jury found a Sandy Valley man guilty of murder.

Roger Clark was convicted of shooting fellow Sandy Valley resident Charles Gibson with a shotgun and then setting Gibson’s motor home on fire, leaving him to burn to death in the middle of the desert near the California/Nevada border. Gibson’s body was found on May 12, 2006, and Clark was arrested a few days later. Witnesses testified that they heard shots and saw Clark driving Gibson’s motor home on the night of the crime.

At least one juror was teary-eyed during the reading of the verdict to a nearly empty courtroom on Wednesday. Clark, who has a serious heart condition, will probably spend the rest of his life in jail, according to Deputy District Attorney Connie Standley. She was pleased with the verdict.

“I think the jurors were able to see through people changing their statements and see through their motives for doing so,” she said.

One of the biggest reversals in the case was in the testimony of witness Bo Gritz, a former United States Special Forces officer and friend of Clark’s who initially told police that Clark had confessed to him but then recanted the statement in court. Standley said she believed Gritz had not expected Clark to live long enough to go to trial and changed his statement in court in an attempt to protect his friend.

“He had an agenda at all times,” Standley said.

Defense attorney Jim Terrell said, “I was kind of shocked by the verdict. I think Connie Standley did an excellent job, but I really felt the facts were in my favor.”

In light of Gritz’ reversal and several other witnesses who refused to testify, said they had seen nothing, and admitted to having been awake for 36 hours and high on methamphetamine the night of the murder, Terrell said he thought the evidence pointed to a not-guilty verdict.
He credited Gritz’s initial statement to the police with swaying the jurors.

“I think the worst factor was that Col. Bo Gritz called up the police and said my client made a confession,” Terrell said.

Terrell said his client took the verdict stoically.

“He turned to me and said, ‘Jim, I’m probably going to die soon anyway,’” he said,

Several jurors contacted after the verdict declined to comment.

Clark’s sentencing is scheduled for May 23.

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