An Arizona man faces murder charges in the death of his pregnant wife, whose body was found in their garage after he allegedly stabbed her in the chest in their children’s bedroom and ran her over with his vehicle.
Joseph Clark was arrested on two counts of second-degree murder on Saturday, October 10, one day after deputies found Noelle Clark dead at the couple’s Vail home, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Joseph, 49, is accused of killing Noelle, 39, while their two young children, ages 5 and 2, were inside the residence, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. The children were found unharmed.
According to the agency, deputies responding to a reported domestic disturbance the evening of Friday, October 9, found Noelle dead “with an apparent gunshot wound.”
Court filings obtained by KOLD-TV detailed Joseph brutally attacking Noelle before he allegedly left her bloody body beneath a blanket in their garage.
Joseph is accused of using his hands and a belt to beat Noelle, then stabbing her chest in a bedroom belonging to their children.
Then, he allegedly dragged her from the children’s room and into the garage, where bloody tire marks were discovered, according to court documents obtained by the TV station. Investigators believe Joseph ran over Noelle, whose arms reportedly had tire marks.
The investigators allegedly found a belt linked to the attack, a knife covered in blood as well as more blood inside the children’s bedroom.
The couple’s children were transferred to Arizona Department of Child Safety custody, according to the sheriff’s department.
According to court documents viewed by KVOA, Joseph admitted to detectives that he killed Noelle because he said she had tortured him over the last few years, further accusing her of electrocuting him.
Joseph didn’t appear to have visible injuries related to the alleged torture he described, according to detectives.
He claimed he had been “shocked,” resulting in his teeth popping “out from being zapped,” according to court filings obtained by KOLD-TV.
Investigators believe Joseph had planned to get rid of Noelle’s body after the killing.
His bond has been set at $1 million, per the TV station.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Joseph had retained legal counsel.
His preliminary hearing has been set for October 20, according to KVOA.
The agency is continuing to investigate Noelle’s death.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
