PROSPERITY — A Newberry man who called 911 to report he had killed his girlfriend Wednesday morning remains in jail without bond on a murder charge.

Clifton Boozer, 40, was detained by the Prosperity Police Department after officers responded to 188 Conifer Drive in Prosperity around 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, Police Chief David Beddingfield said Thursday.

“The 911 call comes out, he asks for law enforcement. He said to the dispatcher that he killed his girlfriend. My guys get out there and basically at that point detain him,” Beddingfield said. “We go ahead and put a hold on him at the Detention Center.”

When officers arrived, they found the body of Clatie Dean Stribble, 35.

Coroner Laura Kneece said Thursday that an autopsy showed Stribble died from asphyxia due to strangulation with a contribution of a stab wound to the neck.

Stribble was the mother of three school-aged children. Beddingfield said the children were not at home at the time of the incident. Beddingfield also said that Boozer is not the father of the children.

Beddingfield added that the children are in the custody of family members.

Beddingfield said they called the Newberry County Coroner’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to collect forensic evidence at the scene.

During that time, Beddingfield’s officers interviewed Boozer and based off that information, charged him with domestic related homicide.

“It’s absolutely a tragedy. This is a domestic related case, and solidifies the importance of holding individuals who commit acts of domestic violence accountable, and solidifies the reasons law enforcement needs to prosecute,” Beddingfield said. “Domestic violence tends to escalate, and this is the final result. We need to address domestic violence way before it comes to this level.”

Beddingfield said several media outlets had requested the 911 call — on which Boozer stated he had killed his girlfriend — be released but he declined to release it due to the continuing investigation and at the recommendation of the Eighth Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

“It (the call) is not going to be a matter of him turning himself in. In my opinion, it will be a matter of ‘I have done something bad, and I need to get out of this somehow,’” Beddingfield said.

According to a SLED background check, Boozer has a history of criminal domestic violence charges. In December 2013 he was charged with criminal domestic violence, but was not convicted. He was charged again in March 2014, and was convicted and ordered to spend 30 days in jail or pay a $2,500 fine.

Boozer
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_boozer-clifton-0000075317.jpgBoozer

By Andrew Wigger

awigger@civitasmedia.com

Reach Andrew Wigger at 803-276-0625 ext. 1867 or on Twitter @ TheNBOnews.