BATAVIA — A United States airman from Texas pleaded guilty to his involvement in a Clermont County murder case ahead of his scheduled trial.
Court documents signed at the beginning of December show Michael Clark, 34, changed his plea to guilty on one count of obstructing justice in the June 2019 death of Jason Hamrick, an Air Force recruiter in the midst of a bitter divorce. Prosecutors allege Clark had been in a relationship with Hamrick's estranged wife, Angelina Hamrick, and he was the first person she called after shooting Jason to death.
According to court documents, Clark told Hamrick to get rid of her husband's body and then denied knowledge of the murder when interviewed by investigators.
Read the accusations against Clark here:
Michael Clark bill of particulars by WCPO Web Team on Scribd
He faces up to 36 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Hamrick's body was found in a ditch near a driveway on Swings Corner Point Isabel Road in Tate Township — about one half-mile from the home the Hamrick family shared. He had been shot once in the back of the head.
Angelina Hamrick has pleaded not guilty to his murder.
Investigators say she shot him in the back of the head as he lay on the couch in their home on June 28, 2019. According to court documents, Hamrick "made preparations for the murder by test firing a firearm owned by (Jason Hamrick), buying cleaning supplies, and making preparations to dispose of the body."
They allege Hamrick called Clark immediately after executing her husband and told him "I did it."
Then, court documents say, Angelina Hamrick dragged her husband's body down the road, covered it with grass clippings from their yard, and destroyed his phone and the gun.
Read the bill of particulars for the murder charge against Hamrick here:
Angelina Hamrick bill of particulars by WCPO Web Team on Scribd
Jason Hamrick worked as an Air Force recruiter in Colerain. He first filed for divorce and custody of his and Angelina's three children in January 2018. What followed were months of competing claims and even an attempt at reconciliation several months later — one Angelina would describe as having "failed completely" in a June 2018 court filing.
His out-of-state family members reported him missing June 30.
Angelina Hamrick will appear in court Wednesday and go to trial in February.
