NEWBERRY, S.C.; August 27, 2026 – A Newberry man will spend the remainder of his life behind bars after being convicted Wednesday in the 2025 shooting death of a 53-year-old father, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced Thursday.
David Ray Clark was found guilty by a Newberry County jury of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of certain offenses following a trial at the Newberry County Courthouse. The jury deliberated for approximately 25 minutes before returning the guilty verdicts.
Circuit Judge Jane Merrill sentenced Clark to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder charge and five years in prison on the weapons charge.
In September 2025, Clark shot and killed 53-year-old Dexter Gary with a single gunshot to the face following an argument that stemmed from jealousy over the mother of Clark’s 3-year-old son. The child was present and witnessed the shooting.
After the shooting, Clark ordered the woman to take Gary’s phone and keys before the two fled the scene in Gary’s vehicle. Clark later disposed of the murder weapon by giving it to his brother in Chapin. The woman was eventually able to call 911 after Clark fell asleep in the vehicle.
Clark was apprehended in Chapin and gave investigators several conflicting accounts of the shooting before eventually admitting that he shot Gary. Evidence presented during the trial included eyewitness testimony, Clark’s statements to investigators, DNA evidence from the firearm and forensic evidence from the autopsy.
Clark has a previous conviction for voluntary manslaughter stemming from the 1989 stabbing death of a 15-year-old which, coupled with this new conviction, made him eligible for the life-without-parole sentence under South Carolina’s recidivist law.
Deputy Solicitor Taylor Daniel, Assistant Solicitor Whitney Taylor, and Assistant Solicitor Bret Price handled the case for the state with assistance from 8th Circuit Investigator Jeremiah Sinclair and 8th Circuit Victim Advocate Mary Winnington.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff along with Lt. Christian Smith and the entire Newberry Police Department in securing the conviction and life sentence. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and Newberry County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the investigation.
“David Clark has now senselessly taken two lives, more than three decades apart, and has proven that he has no regard for human life,” Solicitor Stumbo said following the sentencing. “I am thankful for the hard work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners in making sure this violent killer will not leave prison until the day he leaves this earth.”