Kimberly Perkins Clark was 27 when her body was recovered from a canal in St. Landry Parish in the spring of 2016. A former cheerleader and dance team member who attended North Central High School and later studied to be a paralegal, she was remembered by family and community for her vibrant spirit.

Investigators focused on her husband, Sam Clark, Jr. He was arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder. A grand jury indicted him on June 20, 2016. The case went to trial beginning September 24, 2018; after a two-day trial the jury on September 26, 2018 convicted him of the lesser offense of manslaughter.

At sentencing on November 13, 2018, Sam Clark, Jr. received forty years at hard labor. A Motion to Reconsider Sentence filed on December 7, 2018 arguing the term was excessive was denied and the original sentence was upheld.

If anyone knew Kimberly or has information about her life in Palmetto, please share what you remember.