In the winter of 2009, the life of Kezia Lynette Clinkscales, a 27-year-old female chef, was tragically cut short in her Yuma, Arizona, apartment. On February 6th, she was found deceased from a gunshot wound. The investigation into her death quickly focused on her boyfriend, a 22-year-old U.S. Marine private named Joseph Andrew Mandel. While Mandel had barracks at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma where he was stationed as a vehicle mechanic, he frequently stayed with Clinkscales.
Authorities arrested and charged Mandel in connection with the fatal shooting. The case was handled by local law enforcement and prosecutors as the incident occurred off military grounds. In the months that followed, the legal proceedings began to unfold. Mandel, a resident of Sugarland, Texas, was released from custody after posting a bond of over $20,000 in May of that year.
As the case progressed, a plea agreement was offered to Mandel, which would have had him plead guilty to a single count of negligent homicide. However, during a change of plea hearing in Yuma County Superior Court, Mandel chose not to accept the plea deal. Consequently, a judge scheduled a trial to begin on February 16, 2010. The ultimate outcome of this trial and the final resolution of the charges against Joseph Andrew Mandel are not detailed in publicly available online sources.
