Stone Mountain man sentenced to life for shooting woman in trunk of car, setting it on fire

A man accused of putting a woman in the trunk of her car, shooting her, and then setting the car on fire was found guilty of malice murder and other charges by a DeKalb County jury.

On Friday, April 26, jurors found Gerald Jerome Clark, 44, guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, arson in the first degree, two counts of aggravated assault, kidnapping, criminal damage to property in the first degree, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to the investigation, firefighters responded to a car fire in the 5000 block of Fieldgreen Circle in Stone Mountain on September 26, 2020.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks ]

After extinguishing the fire, they discovered a body in the trunk.

The remains were so badly damaged, investigators used DNA to identify the victim as Mary Kilpatrick, 27.

An autopsy revealed she was still alive when the fire was set.

Witnesses told investigators that Clark drove Kilpatrick’s car to a friend’s house.

People at that house heard someone banging for help in the trunk and confronted Clark about it, who then pulled a gun out and aimed it at the trunk.

A witness stopped Clark from shooting, and then Clark drove away.

Clark then went to his cousin’s house where he asked his cousin to buy him some gas so he could burn the car.

TRENDING STORIES:

• 18-year-old to be charged with vehicular homicide in crash that killed DeKalb high school student
• Ga. woman drowns after her fishing line gets tangled in a tree
• UGA students, staff arrested after set up of encampment on campus

The cousin bought the gas and gave it to him, not knowing there was someone in the trunk.

Investigators said Clark drove off with the gas, made a brief stop to shoot into the trunk, then parked the car on Fieldgreen Circle where he doused the car in gas and set it on fire.

After the guilty verdicts were delivered, a judge sentenced Clark to life without the possibility of parole plus 25 years.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter ]

IN OTHER NEWS: