Man gets life in prison for murder-for-hire
A man convicted in a murder-for-hire scheme for his share in a $500,000 life insurance policy was sentenced Monday to life plus 25 years in prison.
Jean Pierre Devaughn, 29, of Clayton County, shot and killed his cousin, 35-year-old Eric Clark, of Fairfield, Ala., on Dec. 13, 2005, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office said. Clark's wife, Constance Shinell Clark, arranged for the killing to cash in on the insurance policy, prosecutors said.
Clark's mother, Janice Clark, talked about the family's loss prior to Devaughn's sentencing.
She told Judge Stephanie Manis that her son was a compassionate, caring man who was killed by someone he trusted.
"Not seeing his lovely face and smile has been hard for our family," she said. "Eric was loved so much and he was brutally murdered and left like trash."
"This man has taken his life and shown no remorse," Clark said of Devaughn, who sat shackled at the defense table, his head hanging down. "He destroyed our son and we will never be the same."
Clark had driven to Atlanta the day he was murdered with $500 cash to get discounted alcohol for a party he was bartending, prosecutors said. Authorities learned that in the months before he died, Clark's wife had secured a $500,000 life insurance policy on her husband, prosecutors said.
Constance Clark is currently serving a federal prison term for identity fraud. She will be tried at a later date in Fulton for her husband's killing, the DA's office said.
Devaughn, who was indicted in May 2009, had been allowed to remain free on bond until a Fulton jury found him guilty on Monday.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
