Jury Set to Resume Deliberations in Murder Trial

PARKVILLE — Jurors will resume deliberations tomorrow in the case of a fatal shooting last year in the parking lot of a Parkville school.

James Clark’s defense team has said he shot his friend Romy Bogier in self-defense after being pistol-whipped. The two had argued over a small debt.

Deliberations started late morning Friday.

Clark, 45, who has a long, documented history of mental illness, testified the gun fired accidentally. But he also told officers he shot Bogier because Bogier hit him with a gun. Clark once told a mental health professional he didn’t know why he shot Bogier.

“Every time he makes a statement, he says what he thinks is going to help him in that moment,” said prosecutor Joe Dominick in closing arguments.

Clark is charged with murder, attempted murder, a firearms offense, and car theft in the shooting at White Oak School in on Leefield Road in Parkville Sept. 2, 2024.

Clark was charged with car theft for allegedly driving away in Bogier’s vehicle.

Surveillance footage captured the shooting near the school’s dumpsters.

“At the time the defendant used force, at the time the defendant pulled the trigger, he was no longer in danger,” prosecutor Dominick told the jury in closing arguments Friday.

Defense attorney Ryann Castleman said during opening statements that Bogier, 43, and Clark were friends who argued that day over a two-dollar debt.

She said audio of the argument captured Bogier saying, “I’m not trying to hurt you, but if you don’t give me my f—ing money, J-Roc, you’re not getting out of this car.”

Bogier can be seen on the video hitting Clark while holding a handgun.

According to prosecutors, Clark became the aggressor, grabbing Bogiers gun when it fell, tackling Bogier and slamming him to the ground. Dominick said Clark then stood over him, held him by the neck, pressed a gun to his forehead, and pulled the trigger.

Clark then fired several shots at a fleeing Remy Bogier, Romy Bogier’s adult son.

Remy fell while running, hit his head, and fractured his skull.

A forensic psychologist said Clark has been shot three times in the past.

“When he sees a gun, given that he'd been shot on three occasions, he would be at risk of being sensitive to the site of a gun,” said Dr. Michael O'Connell a forensic psychologist who provided expert testimony.

O’Connell said while Clark has a documented history of serious mental illness, he did not meet legal criteria of “not criminally responsible” in Bogier’s shooting.

Police testified that Clark dropped his wallet at the scene. Officers later arrested him in the parking lot of a motel on Joppa Road and found Bogier’s gun in his pocket.