On a cold January evening in Baltimore, the life of 66-year-old Clarence Buckner was tragically cut short in a brutal act of violence that began with a stroke of good fortune. On January 30, 2022, after a successful trip to the Horseshoe Casino, Buckner returned to his home on Rueckert Avenue with his winnings, unaware that he had been followed. What should have been a quiet evening turned into a nightmare when an armed man forced his way into the residence.
The intruder, who openly
admitted to following Buckner from the casino, confronted him and his wife, Elizabeth. A tense and violent struggle ensued. In a desperate attempt to save both their lives, Clarence created a diversion, allowing his wife to escape to a neighbor's house to call for help. Tragically, as she fled, a gunshot rang out. Elizabeth returned to find her husband on the floor with a fatal gunshot wound to his chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
For a time, the case remained unsolved, leaving a grieving family and a concerned community searching for answers. The Baltimore Police Department investigated the homicide, and a reward was offered for information leading to an arrest. The breakthrough in the case came with the identification of two suspects, revealing a devastating betrayal. Authorities arrested Clarence Buckner's goddaughter, 28-year-old Lexus Hart, and her accomplice, 21-year-old Jaheim Battle.
Investigations revealed that Hart had orchestrated the robbery. She had gone to her godfather's home and, upon leaving, signaled for Battle to enter. It was Battle who held the couple at gunpoint. In January 2024, Lexus Hart pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, armed robbery, and the use of a firearm in a felony violent crime. Her plea brought a measure of justice to the family of Clarence Buckner, a retired Baltimore City Public Schools cafeteria cook, who was remembered as a loving husband, a father to twelve, a grandfather to twenty-five, and a great-grandfather to three.
