A 31-year-old Placentia man testified this week to repeatedly slapping his 19-year-old girlfriend and hitting her with a broken pool cue, and acknowledged being responsible for her death, but denied that he intended to kill her.
Nicholas Lee Clark took the stand Tuesday and Wednesday in a Santa Ana courtroom to describe the violence that led to the 2016 death of Madeline Mallory, a killing that prosecutors argue is a first-degree murder, and that the defense counters should be a lesser count of manslaughter.
Under questioning by his attorney, Clark flatly admitted to being responsible for Mallory’s death but denied realizing that the damage he was inflicting on her would be fatal. Photos of Mallory’s body displayed in court showed bruises covering much of her body, from head to toe, and an autopsy determined that her liver had been “pulverized,” causing internal bleeding and her death.
Clark, who was eight years older, initially met Mallory through her older siblings, who went to high school with Clark. The two re-connected in early 2016, and she quickly moved in to the industrial space in Placentia where Clark was living.
Clark’s attorney, Lee Stonum, warned jurors at the start of the trial that Clark had committed “abhorrent, unforgivable acts,” and that they would likely have a “visceral dislike” for Clark. During his testimony, Clark admitted that the couple’s fights had gotten physical on occasion, which he described as mutual shoving and pushing. After one heated argument Mallory left Clark and stayed with friends for several weeks before returning to him days before her death, according to testimony.
Clark said that when Mallory returned she seemed to be suffering from mental health issues, which he described as saying things that didn’t make sense and appearing to talk to people who weren’t there. Clark testified that he suspected a friend Mallory stayed with during her time away from him had given her drugs and taken advantage of her sexually.
On a Saturday in 2016, Clark testified, Mallory took chicken he was cooking out of a crockpot and dropped it in his laundry. Clark said he forced Mallory to clean it up. Later that day, Clark said he saw Mallory messaging the friend Clark believed had taken advantage of her. At some point, Clark said, he began slapping Mallory in the head.
“I didn’t know if she was messing with me, playing games or just nuts,” Clark said.
Clark testified that when he saw her eyes were getting bruised he switched to hitting Mallory in the legs with a broken pool cue. At some point that night — it wasn’t clear from testimony whether it was before, during or after the beating — Clark admitted to messaging Mallory’s friend, including writing, “Trust me, she’s been slapped around more this week than ever in her life” and “I put Maddie in her place right now, just to let you know, lol, (expletive) hardcore too,” followed by a smiling emoticon.
Clark said he woke up the next morning believing Mallory had taken a wallet and cell phone he had forgotten hiding the night before. Mallory ran to the bathroom, Clark said, and when he tried to pull her back they both slipped and fell, causing her to hit her head on the floor. Clark testified that he kneed Mallory three times in the side to get her to let go of a door frame, then pushed her outside. Clark said when he opened the door again a short time later, Mallory was laying on the ground motionless, her eyes open.
“I was crying and I wanted her to just get up,” Clark said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
During his testimony, Clark repeatedly refused to look at photos of Mallory’s body displayed in the court as Deputy District Attorney Mena Guirguis asked him why wounds appearing to match the pool cue weren’t just on her legs. Clark estimated slapping and hitting Mallory around 20 times, and told the prosecutor the numerous other bruises and wounds on her body may have been from shoving and pushing.
“She bruised really easily, man, I don’t know what to tell you,” Clark said.
“Did her liver pulverize easily too?” the prosecutor asked.
Clark told the prosecutor he was intentionally trying to get an angry reaction from Mallory’s friend when he sent him the written messages. He also gave conflicting answers when asked if he was intentionally trying to hurt Mallory.
“I was slightly mad at her,” Clark said.
“Slightly? You did all that in the pictures when you were slightly mad? What would you do if you were really mad?” the prosecutor asked.
“I don’t know,” Clark responded.
If convicted of murder, Clark faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
Source: Orange County Register
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