PHOENIX — A road rage murder suspect scheduled to face trial next year served prison time for another high-profile crime in the Valley, 12 News learned.
Louis Anthony Clark faces first degree murder in a 2021 road rage incident. Stella Montes, a medical office worker and mother of three, was killed near 7th Ave. and Beardsley while she driving her pregnant daughter to a doctor’s appointment. Police say Montes honked at Clark and drove around his car before Clark shot her and sped away.
Last November, police located Clark in Michigan where he was identified as the suspect in the road rage murder.
Clark was previously convicted of drug possession and illegal discharge of a firearm in a 2014 case. During that incident, Phoenix Police pursued three shooting suspects who attempted to hide at Sky Harbor Airport. Law enforcement shut down the airport for several hours while they conducted a manhunt.
Court records show Clark served nearly two years in prison for his role in the case. He was released in 2017.
According to a report by the Arizona Republic in 2015, Clark admitted to police he shot and wounded a man during a drug deal gone bad in Tempe and then was a passenger in the car that fled from police to Sky Harbor Airport.
A sister of the road rage shooting victim attended a court hearing for Clark on Friday.
“I want justice for my sister. I don’t want this to happen to another family,” said Sylvia Martinez. “This world is scary and people that kill other people should not be out there.”
Martinez said her sister was a very good mother.
“Her kids really struggle without their mom. Their mom was everything,” Martinez said.
An evidentiary hearing in the murder case is scheduled for October. A trial is likely to take place in early 2024.
Silent Witness:
Arizona's Silent Witness program allows people to send in tips and share information about crimes happening within their local communities.
The program shares unsolved felony case information in multiple ways, including TV, radio and social media.
Anyone who has information on a crime or recognizes a suspect described by the program is asked to call 480-948-6377, go to the program's website online or download the Silent Witness app to provide a tip. The identity of anyone who submits a tip is kept anonymous.
Calls to Silent Witness are answered 24/7 by a live person and submitted tips are accepted at all times. Submitted tips are then sent to the detective(s) in charge of the specific case.
Individuals who submit tips that lead to an arrest or indictment in the case can get a reward of up to $1,000.
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