The verdict is the latest news after the Florida State Attorney’s Office announced on July 13 that it was trying to locate a witness who had gone missing, just days ahead of the July 17 start of the murder trial.
The Office of the State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit Court of Florida posted on its Facebook page on the evening of July 13 that it was asking for help in locating Zityra Terrell, who “is a witness in the homicide of Ladarius Clardy,” along with contact information for a State Attorney Investigator. The post had almost 700 shares as of the afternoon of July 14, but Terrell still hadn’t been located.
A source in the State Attorney’s Office clarified that Terrell wasn’t in any trouble and described her as a “good, upstanding person.” Terrell was a classmate of Clardy and Eric Young, another victim in the case, at Pine Forest High School.
Read Our Full Coverage of the Story in “The Life and Death of Ladarius Clardy.”
Clardy was shot to death after leaving a dice game at a house in Pensacola in the early-morning hours of July 1, 2021. According to police reports, Clardy was driving his black 2016 Honda Accord with Young in the passenger seat when two cars pulled up alongside the car, filling it up with approximately 50 rounds of bullets from three different 9 mm pistols.
Clardy, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene. Young was severely wounded and taken to the hospital in critical condition but survived. Clardy had just finished his freshman year at Kennesaw State and was spending the summer on-campus training for the upcoming season. He’d returned home for the Fourth of July holiday just hours before he was killed.
Police have said the murder was a case of mistaken identity. The Snowdens were arrested on Sept. 30, 2021, in Pensacola, and three more men, Kobie Jenkins Jr., 21; Timothy Knight Jr., 20; and Terrell Parker, 23, were arrested on Oct. 15 on the same charges.
On Feb. 23, 2023, the State Attorney’s Office announced it was dropping all charges against Jenkins Jr., Parker and Knight Jr. Jenkins Jr., who had already had jury selection for his trial scheduled for March 13, was released the same afternoon the charges were dropped. Knight was released on May 17, and Parker was released on May 23.
“The lawful arrests were made based on probable cause after a comprehensive investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office,” the State Attorney’s office said in a statement. “The legal standard for the Office of State Attorney to prosecute a crime requires a greater standard of proof beyond and to the exclusion of reasonable doubt. Currently, the evidence does not meet that standard.
“The Office of the State Attorney and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will continue to diligently investigate and gather information in this case. Upon developing sufficient admissible evidence, charges against Knight and Parker will be reinitiated.”
Clardy’s father, Ladaron Clardy, said he had already spoken with the state attorney’s office about the missing witness. Ladaron said both he and his family were trying to get mentally prepared for Da’Quavion Snowden Jr.’s court appearance.
“I’m dealing with a lot of emotions right now,” he said. “It’s something I’m dealing with day-to-day … trying not to get overwhelmed by it.”
This is an ongoing story. For any information, reach Tony Adame at tony.adame@bigedition.com or on Twitter at @t_adame or @stadiumtalkcom.
