In the summer of 2020, the quiet community of Somerville, Alabama, was unsettled by the discovery of a local man's untimely death. David James McCluskey, a 54-year-old male, was found deceased on July 22, 2020. His body was recovered from the waters of the Tennessee River near Bluff City Landing, revealing a grim end to his life. An subsequent investigation determined that McCluskey had sustained a fatal gunshot wound, quickly turning the case into a homicide inquiry.
The investigation
into McCluskey's death soon focused on his roommate, Bobby Daryl Hamblen, who was 59 at the time. Authorities alleged that an argument between the two men escalated tragically, culminating in Hamblen shooting McCluskey with a pistol. Following the shooting, Hamblen reportedly disposed of his roommate's body at Bluff City Landing. Based on the evidence gathered, Hamblen was arrested and charged with the murder of David James McCluskey and subsequently booked into the Morgan County Jail.
As the legal proceedings unfolded, Hamblen's defense requested a mental evaluation for their client. Ultimately, the case did not go to a full trial. Instead, Hamblen entered into a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to the murder of his roommate. As a result of the plea deal, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with a split sentence that requires him to serve five years of incarceration. This will be followed by a period of 24 months of supervised probation. Due to health concerns, a request was made for Hamblen to be allowed to serve his sentence at the Hamilton Aged and Infirmed Center.
