In the quiet community near Hartselle, Alabama, the life of Patrick Edward Burkhart, a 58-year-old male, was tragically cut short on Friday, January 22, 2021. The stillness of the early afternoon was broken around 1:30 p.m. when Morgan County 911 received a distressing call reporting a shooting at a residence located on the 1200 block of Highway 55 East, in the area between Falkville and Eva.
Upon their arrival, deputies and investigators from the Morgan County Sheriff's Office secured
the scene and discovered a deceased male, later identified as Patrick Edward Burkhart. In connection with the fatal shooting, authorities detained a then 42-year-old Falkville resident, Richard Odell Clark.
Following an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Burkhart's death, Richard Odell Clark was arrested and charged with murder. He was subsequently transported to the Morgan County Jail, where he was held on a $100,000 bond. The motive for the shooting and the relationship between Burkhart and Clark were not immediately released to the public. The case was set to proceed through the legal system to determine the full course of events that led to the untimely death of Patrick Edward Burkhart.
