On a spring day in 2015, the life of Derrick Levon Dower, a 22-year-old Black / African American male from Selma, Alabama, was tragically cut short. On May 14, what began as a car ride ended in his death in the Beloit-Orrville area. The events of that day would later be recounted by the man responsible for his demise.
The perpetrator, 24-year-old Raphael Miquel Clark, walked into the Selma Police Department and confessed to killing Dower.
According to Clark's account, he had given Dower a ride. He claimed that at some point during the drive, Dower fired a gun inside the vehicle. Clark asserted that he then managed to overpower Dower, take control of the firearm, and shoot him. After the fatal shooting, Clark drove to the intersection of Dallas County Road 45 and Dallas County Road 3, where he left Dower's body.
Following his confession, Raphael Miquel Clark was arrested. The investigation revealed that the gun used in the homicide had been reported stolen during a burglary earlier that year in February. Clark faced charges of murder and receiving stolen property. The legal process moved forward, and in May 2021, a Dallas County jury found him guilty of murder. In addition to the murder conviction, Clark was also found guilty of abuse of a corpse.
In September 2021, justice was served in the eyes of the law as Raphael Miquel Clark was sentenced for his crimes. He received a life sentence in prison for the murder of Derrick Levon Dower. An additional 10-year sentence was handed down for the charge of abusing a corpse, ensuring that he would face significant consequences for his actions on that fateful day in May.
