Killer Clarence Fry accepts death for girlfriend's slaying with a smile
Clarence Fry, who rarely seemed to take his aggravated murder trial seriously, continued in that vein Tuesday as he was sentenced to death for killing his former girlfriend.
Before the hearing, Fry, 46, leaned back in his chair and joked with family members and others in the courtroom.
His lighthearted manner continued later as Delores Knox, the mother of victim Tamila Hardison, told him during the hearing that she could never hate him for killing her only daughter but that he hurt her dearly.
And when he refused Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Cosgrove's order to “wipe that smile off your face” as he stood before her, she sent him to another room with computer access so he could watch her impose a death sentence, plus 16 years for other convictions.
She told Fry earlier that he had absolutely no remorse. “You're a pure psychopath in the full sense of the word,” she said. “You have no conscience.”
Fry stabbed Hardison, 41, four times on July 31, 2005, as she was baby-sitting her three grandchildren. He walked into the Ina Court home carrying a butcher knife and bowl, telling two of the small children he was there to slice potatoes. The children later ran to a neighbor, saying Fry had killed their grandmother.
Fry has a history of violence against women dating to 1983, according to officials.
He was charged with assault and aggravated menacing on July 18, 2005, after he and Hardison fought in the apartment they shared on Ackley Street. She requested a protection order, saying he hit her in the face, threw furniture and threatened to kill her, prosecutors said.
Fry said he learned Hardison stole his property after his release on bond. He told Cosgrove he spoke to Hardison's mother, police and court officials to no avail before he confronted her.
“I was passionately enraged that that woman robbed me,” Fry said. He said she was equally angry. “So, if you add a weapon, someone is going to die,” he said.
He never denied stabbing Hardison, but he claimed that his actions were not premeditated and that he should have been convicted of a lesser charge.
Jurors, who also convicted him of aggravated robbery and domestic violence, watched him eat candy and laugh during his trial. After his conviction, he refused to participate in the mitigation portion, which allows defendants to present witnesses and make an unsworn statement in an effort to convince jurors to recommend a life sentence.
Jurors recommended death. Fry will receive an automatic appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court.
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blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2010/03/killer_clarence_fry_accepts_de.html
