In a twist of legal drama that sounds like it could be straight out of a procedural TV show, Washington County is embroiled in accusations against District Attorney Jason Walsh. He's alleged to have coerced County Coroner Timothy Warco into falsely classifying an infant's death as a homicide for political gain, as revealed in documents filed by the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation, which CBS News reported.
The controversy began after the death of 2-month-old Sawyer Clarke in May of 2022. The father, Jordan Clarke, reportedly fell on the infant while carrying him at their Peters Township home. The baby was taken to UPMC Children's Hospital but later died. Walsh is said to have pressured Warco for the death to be classified as a homicide, with Warco's assertion. In a statement obtained by WTAE, Warco claims his hand was forced to comply.
An affidavit from Warco says that DA Walsh wanted jurisdiction over the case shifted from Allegheny County—where the actual death occurred—to Washington County. According to WTAE, this was because he "needed it to be a homicide" to align with his electoral platform of harsh punishment for crimes against infants. Both Allegheny and Washington County forensic pathologists could not conclusively determine the death's manner, yet Walsh reportedly pushed Warco to change this uncertainty to a firm homicide ruling.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation has filed supplemental documents citing an "arbitrary seeking of the death penalty" in Washington County, noted by lawyers for Jordan Clarke and Joshua George. These documents claim Walsh has issued disproportionate death penalty notices of aggravating factors, a sentiment echoed in Walsh's defense, accusing the accusations of being a "liberal Hail Mary from an anti-death penalty liberal think tank," Walsh stated, as per WTAE. He categorically denied the allegations in an interview with KDKA, labeling them as "ludicrous" when asked to detail the conversations with Warco.
On the defense's side, Jordan Clarke's attorney, Bill Difenderfer, calls the actions of DA Walsh, if true, "prosecutorial misconduct" and "totally outrageous." He plans to file a petition to dismiss the charges against Clarke, as detailed by CBS News.
