Date of Birth: July 2, 1958
Defendant: Black
Victim: Caucasian

About 9:00 p.m. on Friday, May 19, 1989, Shandora Johnson-Marrow and her friend closed up shop and headed out for a local night spot in separate cars.

En route, they stopped off at a Circle K so Shandora's friend could get some money from the automatic teller. Shandora waited outside in her car. Clinton Spencer approached Shandora. on foot and struck up a conversation. Spencer rode with Shandora to the club. Spencer explained he was not dressed to go into the nightclub and for the next 2 hours sat on Shandora's car.

Shandora's friend came out first and refused to give Spencer a ride. As she drove away, she saw Spencer sitting on Shandora's car.

Just before 1:00 a.m. on May 20, 1989, Spencer and Shandora pulled up at a Mesa bank and tried twice to withdraw $140 from Shandora's savings account. He was unsuccessful because the machine was down, but was able to withdraw the money at another location.

About 3:00 a.m. on May 20, 1989, a man on his way to work saw a fire and discovered that it was a body that was burning. This body turned out to be that of Shandora. Analysis revealed Shandora had been sexually assaulted and stabbed twice in the back, and that the fire was caused by a liquid accelerant.

PROCEEDINGS

    Presiding Judge: Norman D. Hall
    Prosecutor:  Paul Ahler
    Start of Trial: September 10, 1990
    Verdict: September 19, 1990
    Sentencing: December 27, 1990

Aggravating Circumstances:

    Prior convictions
    Pecuniary gain   
    Especially heinous/cruel/depraved

Mitigating Circumstances:

    None sufficient to call for leniency

PUBLISHED OPINIONS

    State v. Spencer, 176 Ariz. 36, 859 P.2d 146 (1993).

  

Clinton Lee Spencer