David Clark was a 66-year-old White man who loved farming, his children, and his grandchildren. A retired pipe-fitter living in Versailles, Kentucky, he was remembered by friends as a fun-loving person who enjoyed life and being around people. A longtime friend recalled that David lived for his family, saying, "That's all he talked about were his children and grandchildren."
His quiet life, centered on the land and the people he loved, came to a violent end in the summer of 2020.
On June 14, 2020, police officers were called to David’s home on Clifton Road, where they found him dead inside. He had been shot, and his death was officially ruled a homicide. The Versailles Police Department began an investigation, a rare event in the Woodford County community, as those who knew David grappled with the shocking loss and wondered who could have committed such an act.
For over four months, the investigation continued without any public developments. Then, in October 2020, authorities announced an arrest. A Woodford County Grand Jury returned an indictment, and police in Centerville, Ohio, took 64-year-old Vicki Brautigan into custody at her home. Investigators confirmed that Brautigan and David had previously been in a relationship.
Brautigan was extradited to Kentucky to face charges of murder, two counts of attempted murder, first-degree burglary, and tampering with physical evidence. In a later development, she entered an Alford plea to an amended charge of manslaughter. This type of plea meant that while she did not admit guilt, she acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to potentially convict her at trial. Following a mediation, both the prosecution and defense agreed to recommend a 10-year prison sentence, a resolution David's family had accepted to avoid the trauma of a trial.
At the sentencing hearing, however, the case took an unexpected turn. Woodford Circuit Judge Jeremy Mattox rejected the 10-year recommended sentence. Addressing David’s daughter, the judge said, "Someone’s lost their life here... And someone’s life is worth more than ten years." He then sentenced Vicki Brautigan to 20 years in prison. The decision was met with a burst of applause from David's friends and family in the courtroom, bringing the case to its conclusion.
