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A Kentucky man who spent more than two decades behind bars for a murder he says was built on fabricated evidence has been awarded more than $24 million, after a jury found he was wrongfully convicted in a case once described by prosecutors as a “satanic” killing.
Jeffrey Clark was 21 years old when he and his friend Keith Hardin were convicted in the 1992 stabbing death of 19-year-old Rhonda Sue Warford, whose body was found in a field in Meade County days after she disappeared from her Louisville home.
At trial, prosecutors argued the killing was tied to a ritualistic motive, pointing to witness testimony and forensic evidence that Clark later challenged as false or misleading in court filings.
Clark spent more than 22 years in prison before new DNA testing undermined key evidence used to convict him. His conviction was vacated in 2016, and charges were formally dismissed in 2018.
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Mr. Clark, center, with his Loevy legal team following the verdict. [L-R: Melinda Ek, Elliot Slosar, Amy Staples, Jimmer Dudley, Stephany Janssen, and Julia Quinn] (Loevy + Loevy)
“I finally feel like I am able to wake up from a 34-year nightmare,” Clark said after the verdict.
In a civil lawsuit, Clark accused investigators of engaging in misconduct to secure his conviction, including fabricating statements, pressuring witnesses and withholding evidence that could have supported his innocence.
According to the complaint, detectives attributed statements to Hardin suggesting the killing was part of a ritual, despite no independent evidence to support that claim.
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The lawsuit also alleges authorities relied on testimony from a jailhouse informant who received benefits in exchange for cooperating, while failing to disclose information that could have undermined his credibility.
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An ex-girlfriend’s testimony portraying Clark as involved in satanic practices was also called into question, with the lawsuit alleging her statements conflicted with earlier accounts.
Investigators also failed to pursue another potential suspect who had allegedly confessed to the killing, according to the complaint.
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Rhonda Warford, a 19-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky, whose 1992 killing remains unsolved. (Justice for Rhonda Sue Warford Facebook page)
The case later drew attention from the Innocence Project, which said advances in DNA testing ultimately discredited the prosecution’s core forensic evidence.
Testing showed that hair presented at trial as consistent with Hardin did not belong to him, Clark or the victim. Additional testing confirmed that blood found on a handkerchief, which prosecutors had tied to alleged ritual activity, belonged to Hardin, consistent with his account at trial.
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The organization also pointed to evidence that a jailhouse informant attempted to coordinate false testimony and that investigators did not follow up on another potential suspect.
Clark’s legal team has also highlighted the role of the lead detective in the case, who was later convicted in an unrelated matter involving perjury and evidence tampering, further raising questions about the original investigation.
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Rhonda Sue Warford was found stabbed to death in Meade County, Kentucky, in 1992. (Justice for Rhonda Sue Warford Facebook page)
The lawsuit further alleges investigators adjusted the timeline of Warford’s death to fit their theory of the case. Authorities initially believed the killing occurred days after she disappeared, when Clark and Hardin had alibis, but later focused on an earlier timeframe that weakened those alibis, according to the complaint.
A jury ultimately found in Clark’s favor, awarding him $24.35 million in compensatory damages along with additional punitive damages.
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Meade County officials said the verdict is under review.
“A verdict was rendered … and it is under evaluation as to our next course of action,” the county said in a statement, adding it has no further comment pending legal review.
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Despite Clark’s exoneration and the multimillion-dollar award, Warford’s killing remains unsolved, and no one has been convicted in the case.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office for comment.