A man, who is an uncle, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was given a sentence of 16 to 32 years in prison for fatally stabbing his nephew in 2019. His guilty plea was upheld on appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
A judge named Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. sentenced Milton Darius Clark, 63, to 16-to-32 years in prison for third-degree murder but mentally ill.
The police in Wilkes-Barre charged Clark with fatally stabbing his nephew, Tarese Rahjaan Previlon, 17, during a fight at their home. Previlon passed away two weeks after the fight. An autopsy showed that he died from a stab wound to his heart.
According to court records, Clark was caught peeping on the boy’s mother while she was bathing. When the woman noticed Clark, she screamed and asked her son to get Clark out of the house, which led to the fight.
The case was delayed because Clark was initially considered not competent to stand trial. After receiving treatment at a mental health facility, it was determined that he was well enough to proceed with the case.
In August 2022, Clark confessed to third-degree murder but mentally ill.
During the sentencing that was initially set for Oct. 12, 2022, Clark tried to withdraw his guilty plea but was not successful. His attorneys sought to withdraw the plea because Clark claimed he was innocent and hoped for a lesser prison term.
Sklarosky allowed Clark to withdraw his plea, leading to an appeal to the state Superior Court. The appeal was filed by the District Attorney and assistant district attorneys.
The state Superior Court upheld Clark’s guilty plea, stating that it was done knowingly and voluntarily.
Clark apologized for stabbing Previlon and said that everything happened very quickly.
One of Clark's attorneys, Maura A. Tunis, mentioned that Clark has a history of mental illness and was not on medication at the time of the incident.
Tunis said that Clark is regretful for his actions.
McLaughlin, who asked for a sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison, described Previlon’s death as a tragedy that should not have occurred.
Clark was given credit for 1,794 days served since his arrest.
