On May 21, 2019, Rhonda Richardson, a 59-year-old Texas corrections officer and mom, went looking for her misplaced canine. She used to be discovered useless day after today in a countrywide wooded area adjoining to her house.
On “Cold Justice,” airing Saturdays at 8/7c on Oxygen, former prosecutor Kelly Siegler and investigator Steve Spingola had been in Texas to research the case. They joined forces with native legislation enforcement from San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office, together with Sheriff Greg Capers, St. Gary Sharpen, and Sgt. Omar Sheikh.
Although native resident Robert Dale Clary, a registered intercourse wrongdoer who were out and in of jail, used to be an early suspect, the case used to be nonetheless open.
Part of the issue is it used to be unclear what killed Richardson, a loyal mom and grandmother who lived by myself together with her canine: Due to excessive decomposition Richardson’s reason behind dying may no longer be decided.
“But it looks like she was scalped by her killer,” mentioned Spingola.
In an bizarre twist, Siegler and Spingola disagreed at the case. Like native sheriffs, he believed the sufferer used to be murdered. However, Siegler regarded as the likelihood that Richardson, who used to be hypertensive and obese, had suffered a heat-related middle assault and used to be preyed upon through a coyote or different animal.
The investigators met with Richardson’s daughter, Amanda Ramkissoon. She mentioned her mom used to be on the point of retire and that she cherished spending time together with her grandchildren.
She used to be flooded with emotions discussing her mom’s case. “I’m happy somebody is looking into it and sad to be reliving it,” Ramkissoon mentioned.
Here’s what the group did know after they began the investigation: On May 22, Richardson used to be discovered clothed and face down within the woods about 8 toes from a path utilized by ATV-ers. Her boots were got rid of.
Neighbors reported seeing Richardson on May 21 out looking for her final canine. She had no identified enemies or problems with former inmates or coworkers.
Robert Clary’s nephew Jacen Clary, used to be the person who referred to as 911 in regards to the frame.
In the preliminary investigation, Robert Clary informed sheriffs that he helped Richardson search for her canine. She used to be on foot, he used to be on a four-wheel car.
He took photos of her frame when he came upon it, “which just blew me away,” a sheriff mentioned. An officer steered Clary to delete the photographs.
In 2019, a seek of Clary’s space, truck, and four-wheeler became up no proof to tie him to Richardson.
Forensic pathologist Kathryn Pinneri, M.D. dominated out animal task as the reason for Richardson’s head and face accidents as a result of there have been no tooth marks and that the scalp used to be close to the frame. An animal would have taken it and eaten it, she mentioned.
The post-mortem record confirmed no different indicators of trauma or damage. While investigators suspected that Richardson were strangled, her hyoid bone used to be nonetheless intact.
Investigators wondered how Richardson used to be ready to get so deep into the wooded area. Clary, who used to be on an ATV, had informed sheriffs he didn’t give her a trip. How did she get available in the market?
As the group regarded as that key level, Dr. Dean De Crisce, a forensic psychiatrist who focuses on sexual offenders shared insights on the kind of suspect who would scalp his sufferers.
De Crisce mentioned that this example prompt “sexual motivation or extreme anger. Individuals that do this type of thing are likely to have a prior sexual offense history. Usually, offenders will escalate over time.”
He added that it used to be most likely that the killer knew the sufferer and that it used to be extraordinary that the scalp used to be left at the back of and no longer taken as a trophy.
De Crisce’s profile used to be a fit to Clary, investigators mentioned: He knew the sufferer. He had a sexual offense historical past.
However, Siegler identified, he additionally reported discovering the frame.
Siegler nonetheless had doubts about Clary — however her opinion modified when virtual forensics skilled Eric Devlin shared his insights at the case.
Cell telephone generation confirmed that Clary used to be out at the path within the wooded area later than he had to begin with claimed. Devlin additionally came upon that Clary downloaded the photographs of Richardson from the cloud on his telephone after deleting them.
“Had he been looking at those photographs and viewing them as a trophy?”puzzled Spingola.
Investigators spoke with Jacen Clary, Robert’s nephew. He informed them that his uncle had alienated himself from the circle of relatives.
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“We’re scared of him,” he mentioned.
Jacen additionally mentioned that Clary used to be the person who informed him that he had discovered the frame after which right away mentioned to not inform any individual about that sooner than Jacen made the 911 name. Jacen additionally claimed that his uncle made “sexual comments” and expressed pastime in Richardson, however the feeling wasn’t mutual.
In gentle of the mobile phone proof and Clary’s nephew’s statements, Siegler had an about-face about Robert Clary’s involvement. “I was wrong,” she mentioned.
The undeniable fact that the reason for dying used to be unknown wasn’t insurmountable. Texas permits for circumstances to be filed as “unknown manner and means.”
Investigators interviewed Robert Clary. He claimed that he didn’t know Richardson, by no means gave her a trip on his four-wheeler, and didn’t know her telephone quantity.
He had no reason for mobile phone information appearing that he used to be at the path when she used to be.
Clary additionally claimed he deleted the photographs he took and not downloaded them after that, regardless of what the virtual information confirmed.
“Any time you can get a suspect to contradict the evidence in a case it’s a big win,” mentioned Spingola. “That was a big win for us right there.”
Investigators additionally spoke with Richardson’s neighbors, together with a person named James Talbert. Talbert mentioned that he heard Robert Clary threaten to kill Richardson’s canine. He then informed investigators that the final time he noticed Richardson it used to be 12:30 p.m. at the day she vanished. She used to be at the again of Clary’s four-wheeler headed into the woods to seek for her canine.
Investigators’ findings put Robert Clary on the scene of the homicide on the time it used to be believed to have took place. They had been assured that they had a powerful circumstantial case.
San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon and Assistant DA Robert Freyer concurred.
On October 31, 2022, Robert Clary, 65, used to be arrested for the homicide of Rhonda Richardson. Clary used to be indicted through a grand jury on January 20, 2023.
“I’ve never seen as much emotion in a room,” mentioned Spingola of running the case. “Kelly and I weren’t even talking. If she he was my work wife, I would’ve divorced her by now.”
To be told extra in regards to the case, watch “Cold Justice,” airing Saturdays at 8/7c on Oxygen. You can move episodes here.
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