Shannon Taylor's constant blunders takes Richmond woman's life

Henrico Commonwealth Attorney's release of known violent predator, rapes and kills Richmond woman 

Michael S. Huberman, the chief deputy commonwealth’s attorney in Henrico County had agreed to have an electronic monitoring device removed from a known convicted felon who had a long criminal record of rape and violence towards women.

Just seven days later, VCU administrator Suzanne Fairman was killed, after an electronic monitoring device was removed from her killer’s ankle. 

The suspect, 59-year-old Thomas Clark of Henrico, had been out on a $2500 bond on several unrelated charges when Fairman was killed.

In 2005, a Richmond grand jury indicted him with maliciously causing bodily injury with the intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill.

Photos in the court file show a woman badly beaten. Her eye is black and blue and her neck is cut up. Clark was also charged with abduction and armed robbery.

Court records show he pleaded guilty to attempted robbery in that 2005 case and was sentenced to ten years in prison

https://www.wric.com/news/crime/ankle-monitor-removed-from-alleged-killers-leg-just-days-before-the-crime/

In July 1988, an Alexandria jury found Clark guilty of forcible rape of a woman , a courthouse official said. Jurors recommended, and a judge ordered, that he serve 15 years in prison.

Henrico county deputy assistant commonwealth attorney, Michael Huberman stated they didn’t know Virginia State Police was investigating Clark at the same time the ankle monitor was removed from his ankle. ABC 8 News learned they were in process of investigating the sex offender for failure to register his change of employment as well as some social media and email accounts. Clark now faces charges for that

He was initially denied bond, but as the case was continued several times, a judge let Clark out on a $2,500 personal recognizance bond on Jan. 10.


Clark, 59, of the 7100 block of Horsepen Road in Henrico, is now facing charges of murder, rape and abduction with intent to defile in Fairman’s death.

On May 2, a week before Fairman’s death, prosecutors offered all three co-defendants a plea deal, Huberman said. The others took the deal; Clark’s attorney requested more time and asked that his ankle monitor be removed. Huberman said Clark had been compliant with his pre-trial release, so there was no objection by Michael S. Huberman, the chief deputy commonwealth’s attorney.