PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Supreme Judicial Court (MSJC) on Tuesday upheld the conviction of a Hampden man who shot his sister-in-law 10 times.
Philip L. Clark was convicted in November 2019 of the July 11, 2018, murder of 49-year-old Renee Henneberry Clark in Hampden.
Philip Clark fired his gun repeatedly at Renee Clark, stopping to reload until she stopped moving. Renee Clark was involved in a contentious divorce from Frank Clark, Philip Clark's brother, prosecutors said.
In its ruling overturning an appeal, the MSJC said a happenstance meeting three to four years before the trial between a Roman Catholic priest who testified in the case and Justice William Stokes, who presided over the trial, did not require Stokes to recuse himself.
Clark was sentenced to 43 years in prison.