The Murder of Allison Neil Clark
For this case, I watched an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn. It’s season 20 episode 5, titled ‘Little Lamb.’
A young mother is found dead in her vehicle.
Background
Allison Neil Clark was married to Josh Clark, who she had been with for 7 years. Together, they had two daughters, who were 3 and 1 at the time of their mom’s death.
Allison had been planning to go back to school to become a teacher, and wanted a 3rd child. Allison was described as a loving, patient and attentive mother.
Allison Neil Clark
Allison and Josh
The Crime Scene
On May 14, 2010, the police received a frantic 911 call around 9pm.
A couple had been driving in West Point Arthur, Texas, and came across a vehicle. They had pulled over because the hazard lights of the car were on. Inside, they found Allison slumped over in the seat. It was clear she was dead. Allison’s 3-year-old daughter was in the car, but was unharmed.
When the police arrived, it was clear to them that Allison had been shot at close range. There was a bullet hole in the drivers side window. The bullet had hit Allison in the chest, exited, and was found lodged into the seat. The bullet that was recovered was either a .10mm or a .40 caliber.
There was no sign of a robbery. Allison’s purse was found on the passengers side floor. There was $10 next to it with a drop of blood on it. Allison’s phone was also inside the car.
After she was shot, Allison had been able to stop the car, put it in park and put the hazard lights on. It was all to protect her daughter, who had been found by the police asleep in her car seat.
The First Suspect
The police really didn’t have a theory as to why Allison was killed. They weren’t able to recover any fingerprints or DNA from the car.
Allison’s husband, Josh, wasn’t answering their phone calls. The police were able to get into contact with Allison’s brother, and had to deliver the news to him about his sister’s death.
When Josh was finally located, the police interviewed him. The police described him as very unemotional and detached. He said he last saw his wife leave to go to the store with their daughter.
Josh said he was at home with his other daughter and brother at the time of the murder. Josh was asked if his brother could corroborate his alibi, but he said no. Josh said he was in his room playing a video game.
The police hadn’t been able to reach Josh for about 40 minutes. They also found some of his answers to their questions odd. They asked him if he was left or right handed. Josh said he was right handed, but shot a gun with his left.
The police also asked him if he had committed the murder, where would he throw the murder weapon. Josh said in the canal behind his house.
Josh agreed to take a polygraph test, but it showed deception. Josh eventually took a second polygraph test. This time, they asked him the same question but in a different way. He passed. The police forensically searched Josh’s computer. Josh had been online at the time of Allison’s murder, and was eventually ruled out as a suspect.
Josh was interviewed in this episode. He said he was finally able to grieve after he was eliminated.
The Witnesses
Sadly, after Josh was eliminated, the police didn’t have a lot of other suspects or evidence. The case went cold. The police turned to the public for help.
A crucial tip did eventually come in. A man said he had been filling up his car at a gas station, and heard a gun shot on May 14, 2010. The man said he then saw a silver or grey Ford truck.
Ken Parks, a Texas Ranger, went to the gas station to obtain surveillance footage. The gas station was 4 miles from the crime scene. He was able to see the Ford truck drive by the gas station. The footage was grainy, so he couldn’t see the license plate.
Another man eventually came forward and also admitted to hearing the gun shot. He said he was scared, and thought he was being shot at.
An alert was put out for any silver or grey Ford F-150 trucks. There were about 450 of those trucks in one county. Again, Allison’s case went cold, but the police never gave up on finding answers for her loved ones.
A Confession
Allison’s case went cold for several years until an informant admitted to hearing two men talking about her case.
The men were identified as Ozzie Ibarra and Sabino Martinez. The two of them were very violent criminals who had been robbing women for years. Ozzie also drove a silver Ford F-150, and had been arrested a month after Allison’s death.
Ozzie’s truck had been sold, but it had been tracked down. The new owner told the police that her husband had found a bullet in the truck, and kept it. It was match to the one that had been found in Allison’s car.
The police learned that Ozzie and Sabino called the women they robbed their “little lambs.” They would target women who were alone and vulnerable. They were usually joined by Ozzie’s girlfriend, Jessica Bellis, who would drive them around in Ozzie’s truck. Ozzie and Sabino were often high, so Jessica would help them.
Jessica was arrested on an unrelated robbery charged, and agreed to talk to the police. Jessica admitted that she was driving on the night of Allison’s murder. They had planned to rob Allison, but she said Sabino had been the one who decided to shoot her. Jessica said she saw a young girl in the car.
Jessica said she had pulled up to Allison’s car, and was so close that she could had reached out and touched the mirror. Allison’s autopsy had revealed that Allison had a burn on her arm from unburned gunpowder from a close range shooting.
Jessica said Sabino had walked over to the car after it was stopped and looked into the windows. He then saw Allison’s daughter in the backseat.
The Convictions
The prosecution was able to find a law that would allow them to combine murder with all of the robberies that Ozzie and Sabino had been committing.
The police interviewed Ozzie behind bars. He also blamed Sabino for the murder, and said he couldn’t believe Sabino shot an innocent woman with a baby. He said their plan was to rob someone that night.
Ozzie agreed to plead guilty for a 35 year sentence. Sabino didn’t take that deal and went on trial in April 2017. He had said he wasn’t going to take anything with a 3 in front of it.
Sabino testified in his defense, but slipped up. During cross examination, he called Jessica a snitch. The prosecution asked if only someone guilty would have a snitch, and he said yes. It was clear that he knew he had slipped up after his answer.
Sabino was found guilty. On April 27, 2017, Sabino was sentenced to 80 years in prison. He had shown absolutely no remorse.
Sabino Martinez
Ozzie Ibarra
FINAL THOUGHTS
All 3 of them deserve life in prison if you ask me. I believe they were all just as guilty as the others. They killed an innocent mother in front of her child. It’s sickening and heartbreaking. I hope Allison’s daughters are thriving today. Josh said he doesn’t blame the police for looking into him, but I’m glad the truth came out so he can spend the rest of his life raising his daughters.
Sources
https://kfdm.com/news/local/family-says-justice-now-served-for-murder-victim-allison-neil-clark
