In the late hours of a Friday night in Cleveland, Tennessee, the life of 22-year-old Miranda Latrell Stamper was tragically cut short. On September 20, 2019, the young Black woman found herself in an altercation that spilled out into the parking lot of the Chattanooga Billiards Club. The dispute escalated, and Miranda was shot. Emergency services rushed to the scene around 11:22 PM, finding her on the ground with gunshot wounds.
Despite being quickly transported to Tennova Hospital, her injuries proved fatal, and she died shortly after her arrival.
The investigation into Miranda’s death was swift. At the scene, police arrested 29-year-old Karla Clausell in connection with the shooting. Clausell was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. Cleveland Police Department Detective Matt Landolt led the investigation into the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter in the billiard club's parking lot. The case moved through the justice system, with Assistant District Attorneys Paul Moyle and Aaron Chaplin prosecuting the case against Clausell.
After nearly three years, the legal proceedings came to a close. On April 22, 2022, a jury in Bradley County deliberated for a couple of hours before reaching a verdict. They found Karla Clausell guilty of the first-degree murder of Miranda Stamper. The conviction brought a measure of closure to a case that had taken a young woman’s life and forever altered the lives of those involved. Those who knew Miranda remembered her as a sweet and wonderful person who was a 2015 graduate of Cleveland High School.
