The murder of James Ricks
Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas · 1967
Overview
James Ricks, a 27-year-old African-American father from North Little Rock, Arkansas, was abducted in 1967 by two brothers fleeing a robbery whose own car had broken down. They took Ricks and his 1964 Oldsmobile, shot and wounded him, handcuffed him, and drove roughly 90 miles to a farm near Newport in rural Jackson County, where James Leon Clay shot him in the back of the head. His skeletal remains were found by a man and his son on August 27, 1967. The Clay brothers were convicted in the 1960s only of stealing the car and crossing state lines with it, never of the murder. Nearly half a century later, a fellow inmate's tip and a recorded jailhouse confession reopened the case, and in 2016 James Leon Clay pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction.
How it was solved
The case was effectively cold for 47 years until April 17, 2012, when a man contacted the FBI to report that his brother-in-law's prison cellmate, James Leon Clay, had been confessing to a decades-old Arkansas murder. Clay was at that time incarcerated in Delaware. FBI Special Agent Justin Downen of the Baltimore Division's Dover, Delaware resident agency, working with local officers, arranged for the cellmate to wear a recording device, and on December 18, 2014 Clay was recorded admitting that he killed James Ricks in 1967 and had never been charged with the crime. On January 8, 2015, Jackson County Sheriff David Lucas received the information from FBI Special Agent Bradley Harvey of the Little Rock Field Office and connected it to the unidentified 1967 remains found near Newport. Jackson County Circuit Judge Harold S. Erwin signed an affidavit of probable cause, and on March 10, 2015 Clay, then 67, was arrested at his home in Georgetown, Delaware on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder. He fought extradition and was eventually returned to Arkansas. Third Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Henry Boyce prosecuted the case in Jackson County Circuit Court. With his recorded confession ruled admissible and trial set to begin, Clay entered a last-minute guilty plea to second-degree murder in late November 2016 and was sentenced to 20 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. His brother and accomplice, Leon Junior Clay, had died before the case was solved.
Sources
- Cold Case Solved
“James Ricks ... a 27-year-old African-American father of a young daughter ... locked him in the trunk of his own 1964 Oldsmobile ... shot him again in the back of the head ... Special Agent Justin Downen ... received a call ... While in prison for an attempted bank robbery, 67-year-old James Leon Clay was recorded in Dec. 2014 as saying that he killed James Ricks, 27, in 1967 ... After the judge declared his taped confession admissible, Clay pleaded guilty to the murder charges and was sentenced to 20 years.”
- Delaware man charged in 1967 Arkansas slaying fighting extradition
“Clay ... a 67-year-old wizened wisp of a man with a string of petty crimes to his name and a history of mental illness ... diagnosed last year with chronic paranoid schizophrenia ... Clay and his brother Leon Clay, who reportedly has since died, robbed a Little Rock pawn shop and later found Ricks ... after their vehicle broke down ... shot and wounded Ricks, handcuffed him and drove about 90 miles to a farm near Newport, Arkansas, where James Clay shot him in the head ... The brothers were arrested in Elliott City, Maryland, on June 20, 1967, for carrying concealed weapons ... Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed extradition papers ... directing authorities to deliver Clay to Arkansas.”
- 47-year-old cold murder case trial to begin in November
“James Ricks ... an autopsy revealed Ricks had died of a gunshot wound to the back of the head ... a man and his son found Ricks' remains on August 27, 1967, while walking in a rural area of the county ... April 17, 2012: Cell mate contacted FBI ... charges of kidnapping and murder in the first degree ... Henry Boyce, Prosecuting Attorney ... Jackson County Circuit Court.”
- Man Arrested in Arkansas Cold Case Nearly 50 Years Later, Cops Say
“James Leon Clay ... accused in the 1967 killing of James Ricks ... the brothers robbed a pawn shop and then took Ricks and his car after their own vehicle broke down ... drove to a farm near Newport, Arkansas, where Ricks was shot in the head.”
- 1967 Cold Case Murder Arrest Made
“James Ricks, age 27 of North Little Rock, whose remains were discovered in rural Jackson County on August 27, 1967 ... On January 8, 2015 ... Sheriff David Lucas received information from Special Agent Bradley Harvey of the FBI's Little Rock Field Office ... On March 10, 2015, James Leon Clay, age 67 from Georgetown, Delaware was taken into custody on charges of kidnapping and murder in the first degree ... Jackson County Circuit Judge Harold S. Erwin signed an affidavit of probable cause ... Third Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Henry Boyce.”
- 49 Year Old Cold Case Cracked by Probation Officer
“Rick's skeletal remains were found on a farm near Newport ... Rick died of a gunshot wound to the back of the head ... Clay entered a last-minute plea to second-degree murder, averting trial scheduled for November 28 ... 20 years in Arkansas Department of Correction ... It's an extremely rare day that we have the opportunity to close a case this cold.”
- Update: Delaware Man Accused of 1967 Arkansas Murder Fights Extradition
“James Leon Clay ... accused of the 1967 murder of James Ricks ... is fighting extradition from Delaware to Arkansas, where he faces kidnapping and first-degree murder charges in the death of the North Little Rock man.”
- Georgetown Man Arrested in 1967 Arkansas Cold Case Murder
“James Clay, a Georgetown, Delaware man, was arrested in connection with the 1967 cold case murder of James Ricks in Arkansas, with the case broken open by a recorded confession to a fellow inmate.”