An Orange County jury found a 31-year-old Placentia man guilty of killing his 19-year-old girlfriend on Tuesday.
Nicholas Lee Clark was convicted of first-degree murder for the beating death of Madeline Mallory in 2016. Clark reportedly admitted in his own court testimony that he committed the deadly act—but said he had not planned it out ahead of time.
Clark said his relationship with Mallory was contentious, and he had engaged in domestic abuse on multiple occasions, acting out of feelings of jealousy.
Photos displayed in court by prosecutors showed Mallory's body to be covered in severe bruising. Clark reportedly damaged her liver and caused significant internal bleeding by beating her with a pool cue, injuries that ultimately resulted in her death.
The autopsy doctor testified that she regularly encountered injuries of the magnitude inflicted on Mallory in car crash victims.
Prosecutors also showed jurors direct messages, or DMs, Clark allegedly sent a friend of Mallory's on Instagram in whic the defendant appeared to boast of abusing the 19-year-old.
"Trust me, she's been slapped around more this week than ever in her life," prosecutors said Clark wrote. "I put [Madeline] in her place right now, just to let you know, lol [...] hardcore too." The message was punctuated with a smiley-face emoticon.
The defense contended Clark was guilty of manslaughter, not murder, claiming the defendant did not intend to kill Mallory and was not aware the injuries he caused could kill her.
Clark will return to court for sentencing Wednesday. He faces 25 years to life in prison.
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