A Fulton Superior Court judge threatened to gag a convicted hitman if he could not promise to be quiet when he's sentenced for a 2000 murder for hire.
For the second time Thursday -- the fifth time during the death penalty trial -- Cleveland Clark, convicted of murdering Sparkle Rai, spewed obscenities at the judge and others involved in the prosecution.
After the jury began deliberating, Clark became frustrated for being brought back into the courtroom for a discussion about a jury question.
During closing arguments last week, he opted to wait in the closing cell.
About 13 deputies were seen trying to coax the 6-3, nearly 300-pound man out of the loading cell.
Judge T. Jackson Bedford spoke to him through an open door.
"It would be important for you to be here during sentencing. I ask for a commitment [ for you ] to be quiet. If I don't have that commitment, I would have to gag you. I don't want to gag you."
Clark said he would be quiet out of respect for one of his attorneys.
Clark was convicted last Friday for the April 26, 2000 murder.
Clark, 52, stabbed and strangled Sparkle Rai with a vacuum cleaner cord in front of her crying 6-month-old daughter for $10,000.
Her father-in-law, Chiaman Rai, a native of India, wanted Sparkle Rai dead because he opposed his son marrying an African American woman. Sparkle and Rajeeve "Ricky" Rai had been married a month when she was murdered.
Clark was the last of those implicated in Sparkle Rai's death.
Chiaman Rai, 68, was sentenced in 2008 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Two other men -- the links between Chiaman Rai and Clark -- each were sentenced to 10 months probation because they helped prosecutors bring cases against the father-in-law and Clark.
As a prosecutor described an impulsive and dangerous man Thursday morning, the jury saw yet another example of Clark's volatile personality -- his fourth outburst in the 15-day trial.
The Thursday outburst -- an obscenity-filled rant -- came as a prosecutor was making her final comments before the jury was dispatched to deliberate.
"He did it. The only thing you heard to the contrary was from him," said assistant Fulton County District Attorney Kelly Hill.
Clark pounded a table and bellowed, "I didn't kill that ... woman.
"I said I didn't kill no ... woman. What's wrong with you? I'm sick of this... telling lies on me."
His attorney, Todd Wooten, bowed his head and held up his hand as his client ranted.
"Be careful, sir," Judge T. Jackson Bedford warned.
But the obscenities continued.
The jurors were taken out of the courtroom.
Clark was taken out as well.
A few minutes later Clark was returned and Bedford told him "you will have to behave yourself. You'll have to remain quiet."
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