Death of 2nd baby in two years leads to criminal charges against Mom Vanessa Clark and Father Mark Clark/Father acquitted, Judge sentences Mom to nine years and 11 months

Death of 2nd baby in two years leads to criminal charges

A Texas mother could be facing prison time after her two infant sons died under similar circumstances in less than two years.
Vanessa Clark has been convicted of child endangerment in the July 2010 death of her 2-month-old son Tristian. Her husband Mark was also charged in the case but he has not yet gone on trial.
An autopsy concluded that Tristian’s cause of death could not be determined, but Angelina County Assistant District Attorney Dale Summa told HLN that the boy died while sharing a bed with his parents. Co-sleeping was also blamed in the death of their 1-month-old son Christian about a year earlier. Summa said the Clarks were warned about the dangers of sharing a bed with their baby after Christian’s death and they placed Tristian in “imminent danger” by doing it again with him.
According to KTRE, Clark’s defense attorney claimed at trial that Child Protective Services gave the parents guidelines for safe co-sleeping but did not tell them they should not do it at all. No charges were ever filed in Christian’s death, and Summa said it appeared that the case was not presented to his office for consideration because it was treated as incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The Lufkin Daily News reported that trial testimony showed the Clarks told police they got in bed with Tristian around 11:30 pm on July 8, 2010 and when Vanessa woke up around 4:30 am on July 9, the baby’s body was cold and stiff. When paramedics arrived a few minutes later, Mark Clark was attempting to administer CPR but Tristian was nonresponsive.
“The doctor promised me this wouldn’t happen again,” Vanessa Clark said during a police interview that was played in court.
Clark is free on bond awaiting sentencing, which is expected in 4 to 6 weeks. Because of her prior criminal history, Summa said she could face 2 to 10 years in prison. Since she had Xanax and hydrocodone in her system at the time of Tristian’s death, she is required to submit to drug testing as one of the conditions of her release.
Summa said he hoped that the case could be used to educate parents about SIDS and the risks of co-sleeping.
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One would think after her first born died she would have been more careful. She was warned in more than way to not put a baby in bed with her. The drugs in her system could have caused her to roll over on the baby and not wake up.

Between the mug shot and that above pic she has found the time to color her hair. That would be the Last thing on my mind. And, she is actually Smiling in the mug shot. Unreal!!

I agree w/LM. She had xanax and hydrocodone in her system and probably did roll over on the baby or NOW, babies. And, Nite is correct. She didn't "get it" the first time (CPS should have told her NO co-sleeping at all!!) and now she w/spend some time in prison.

Lufkin father charged in baby death arrested for alleged assault of mother over title transfer.
Posted: Monday, July 11, 2011



A Lufkin father accused of injury to a child in the death of his infant son was arrested Sunday for allegedly beating the child's mother in the head with a pistol over transferring a title.

Mark and Vanessa Clark — charged in the death of their infant son after losing another child the same way 18 months earlier — got into a fight over a vehicle title transfer Sunday afternoon, according to an arrest warrant.

When police arrived at their home, Vanessa, 32, bleeding from a head wound, told them Mark, 32, threw her to the ground and started punching her. She said he then held her down by putting his knees to her chest, causing her difficulty in breathing, the affidavit stated.

After that she said he hit her in the back of the head with the .380 pistol he often keeps in his pocket, according to the affidavit. He then went outside to leave their home in his Ford Expedition while she dialed 911.

Upon realizing he was trying to leave, Vanessa told police she ran outside and got in front of the SUV to stop him. According to the affidavit, Mark then bumped her with the SUV, knocking her to the ground. She told police after that he put the SUV in reverse and left.

Vanessa told police she expected Mark to be at his mother's home. Police located Mark at his mother's home, although he had pulled his SUV into the woods near the home, the affidavit stated.

Upon searching the vehicle, officers located a box of .380 ammo but were unable to find the pistol.

He was then arrested and taken to the Angelina County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault and family violence, causing serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony. If convicted, Mark faces up to 20 years in prison.

Although Vanessa refused treatment from Lufkin Fire paramedics called to the scene, she did take herself to a local hospital for the head wound.

Mark's only previous Angelina County arrest before this year was in 2004 on a charge of driving while license invalid. Vanessa's criminal history dates back to 1999 with charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft and possession of methamphetamine.


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Upon realizing he was trying to leave, Vanessa told police she ran outside and got in front of the SUV to stop him. WTF?? Let that idiot go! She's nuts! According to the affidavit, Mark then bumped her with the SUV, knocking her to the ground. She told police after that he put the SUV in reverse and left.

Vanessa's criminal history dates back to 1999 with charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft and possession of methamphetamine.

CPS should have been aware of her previous criminal record, especially for the meth..and she should have gone to prison the first time. OMG!! Lovely parents!

LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) -
A district judge has sentenced a Lufkin woman to 119 months in prison in connection to her infant son dying while she slept with him in 2010.

Judge Paul White said Clark absolutely "disregarded" proper care of the child.


"I cannot do apparently what you did and ignore the prior episode," said White.
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PUBLISHED:10:54 EST, 8 April 2012| UPDATED:12:27 EST, 8 April 2012
A mother is facing up to 20 years in jail after her newborn baby died while sleeping in her bed -- the second time she has lost a child in a nearly identical way.

Vanessa Clark was found guilty of child endangerment after prosecutors said she should have learned from her first son's death.

In July 2010 her two month old son Tristan was found dead after sleeping in his parents bed.

Clark, 33, believed her son had died from SIDS, the so called sudden infant death syndrome or cot death.

But she was charged with his death after it was discovered her first son Christian had died in near identical circumstances a year previously.

Clark had said the one month's old death was due to SIDS while sleeping in the same bed as her and husband Mark Clark.

A court in Angelina County, Texas, was told after the death of her first son Clark was warned about the dangers of co-sleeping.

Infants can be suffocated by their parents or by pillows or the folds in bedding.

Prosecutor Dale Summa told the jury Clark, who had posed smiling and happy in a bizarre police mugshot, should have been alert to the dangers.

Summa said the Clarks deliberately placed their son Tristam in danger by taking him into their bed.

She said they had been warned by Child Protection Service workers about the dangers following the death of their first child at her home in Lufkin, Texas.

Summa said by ignoring the advice of officials they had reached the legal threshold of child endangerment in Texas law.

'It may not be illegal to sleep with your child, but it is illegal to put your child in imminent danger,' said Summa.

Summa said the 2009 death of Clarks' son, Christian, was a key fact in determining the recklessness of Clark in relation to Tristan's death in 2010.

Defence lawyer John Reeves has insisted Tristan died from SIDS.

He argued that it wasn't illegal for babies to sleep in their parents bed but the jury found Clark guilty of child endangerment.

'Every ounce of her went into preserving life,' said Reeves.

Clark trembled and wept as the jury delivered the verdict at the Angelina County Courthouse in Texas Wednesday.

She will be sentenced within the next six weeks.

As many as 7,000 babies a year die from SIDS in the US – the biggest single killer of newborns.
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Why the smile? Vanessa Clark, seen here in this bizarre mug shot after her arrest, faces up to 20 years in prison after her conviction

Not smiling anymore: Clark was convicted at trial after child protection workers testified they warned her about the dangers of sleeping with her kids

LUFKIN (August 24, 2012)—An East Texas woman is headed to prison for the death of her infant son who died in 2010 while sleeping in her bed.

A judge sentenced Vanessa Clark Thursday to nine years and 11 months in prison for the death of 2-month-old son Tristan.

An Angelina County jury found her guilty of child endangerment in April.

She could have received as much as 10 years in prison.

Her husband, Mark Clark, was acquitted in May in a separate trial.

Prosecutors said Vanessa Clark had elevated levels of Xanax and hydrocodone in her system when she took Tristan into bed, despite her husband's pleas that she not.

A year before, in 2009, Clark’s 1-month-old son Christian died under similar circumstances after she placed the infant in bed with her and her husband.
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A judge sentenced Vanessa Clark Thursday to nine years and 11 months in prison for the death of 2-month-old son Tristan.

That's NOT enough! This was the 2nd baby that died due to her negligence!!

Again, Raine, for keeping up with this horrific story!

That mugshot above makes me wonder if she has munchausen by proxy syndrome...It looks like she was basking in the attention that she was getting...Just a thought...

Either that or she's shizo!!

UFKIN, TX (KTRE) -
A Lufkin man who was acquitted in a trial connected to the death of his infant son pleaded guilty to using fraud in order get prescription narcotics Tuesday morning.

Mark Wayne Clark, 33, entered the plea in the courtroom of Judge Barry Bryan, and will learn his sentencing after a pre-sentence investigation.
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