More Details in 13-Year-Old Cold Murder Case
By: Michael Chesney
Updated: February 20, 2009
John Tapp Gary Clark
Kentucky State Police say the man they have in custody for a 13-year-old murder has been a main suspect since day one. 42-year-old Gary Clark was murdered in late 1995 with a single gunshot wound to the head. After the trail went cold for more than a decade, police hope they can now close the book on this case for good. Police arrested John Tapp Wednesday for Gary Clark's murder. The arrest started with surveillance that led officers to a Madisonville Integra Bank. "He was arrested at the Integra Bank," said Trooper Stu Recke. "He wasn't an employee there. He was a customer at the bank." The indictment came down Tuesday. Detectives re-examined the original evidence and presented a case against Tapp that a grand jury found compelling. "He had been a suspect," Recke said. "From my understanding, he was the last person to be seen with Mr. Clark before Mr. Clark was discovered." Hunters found Clark's body along this rural road near Earlington all those years ago. The Commonwealth Attorney David Massamore in Hopkins County didn't want to go on camera. But, FOX 7 asked him if the length of time between the murder and the arrest was going to be an issue in prosecuting the case. He said the evidence is the evidence whether it's 14 year or 14 days. Massamore said Clark and Tapp were both involved in a Hopkins County drug ring. One man in the ring tried to pay someone to kill Clark. Members of the drug ring also seriously wounded two Hopkinsville police officers prior to Clark's murder. Recke said getting an indictment in a cold case like this is a big deal. And, he adds this detective may be getting used to it. "He's been involved so far with three major cold cases - one being 14 years old, one being 16 and one being 26 years old. And, in each instance he was able to get the subject indicted for murder after a lot of time had passed." Tapp is still in the Hopkins County Jail, charged with murder and held without bond.
Kentucky State Police say the man they have in custody for a 13-year-old murder has been a main suspect since day one. 42-year-old Gary Clark was murdered in late 1995 with a single gunshot wound to the head. After the trail went cold for more than a decade, police hope they can now close the book on this case for good. Police arrested John Tapp Wednesday for Gary Clark's murder. The arrest started with surveillance that led officers to a Madisonville Integra Bank. "He was arrested at the Integra Bank," said Trooper Stu Recke. "He wasn't an employee there. He was a customer at the bank." The indictment came down Tuesday. Detectives re-examined the original evidence and presented a case against Tapp that a grand jury found compelling. "He had been a suspect," Recke said. "From my understanding, he was the last person to be seen with Mr. Clark before Mr. Clark was discovered." Hunters found Clark's body along this rural road near Earlington all those years ago. The Commonwealth Attorney David Massamore in Hopkins County didn't want to go on camera. But, FOX 7 asked him if the length of time between the murder and the arrest was going to be an issue in prosecuting the case. He said the evidence is the evidence whether it's 14 year or 14 days. Massamore said Clark and Tapp were both involved in a Hopkins County drug ring. One man in the ring tried to pay someone to kill Clark. Members of the drug ring also seriously wounded two Hopkinsville police officers prior to Clark's murder. Recke said getting an indictment in a cold case like this is a big deal. And, he adds this detective may be getting used to it. "He's been involved so far with three major cold cases - one being 14 years old, one being 16 and one being 26 years old. And, in each instance he was able to get the subject indicted for murder after a lot of time had passed." Tapp is still in the Hopkins County Jail, charged with murder and held without bond.
