WASHINGTON COUNTY — The Washington County coroner and district attorney are at odds regarding a case where a man is accused of killing his infant son.
The Washington County coroner said the district attorney coerced him into filing a fraudulent death certificate for political gain.
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh is seeking the death penalty against Jordan Clarke.
Clarke is accused of killing his 2-month-old son in May 2022.
In a court filing with the Philadelphia-based anti-death penalty group “Atlantic Center for Capital Representation,” Coroner Timothy Warco said the child’s manner of death could not be determined and that DA Walsh pressured him to rule it a homicide.
Warco alleged Walsh said, “You know that I need this to be a homicide. I need it to win an election.” The group said the allegations were supported by a similar claim from Deputy Coroner Matthew Yancosek.
“In coming forward, the coroner and deputy have provided the level of transparency and accountability that this situation demands,” said Frances Harvey, staff attorney at the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation. “DA Walsh has used this case and the death penalty more broadly as vehicles to advance his political career. He is unfit to continue to pursue death sentences and, frankly, unfit to be a prosecutor.”
The child’s cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma by a contracted forensic pathologist with the county coroner’s office.
In a statement sent to Channel 11 on Tuesday, District Attorney Walsh said:
“The coroner’s statement is completely false and is completely idiotic. He swears to being a liar and perpetrating a fraud. He is wholly not credible and unfit for office. A baby was killed and suffered horrific injuries. That’s all this case is about.”
Atlantic Center for Representation is asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to halt capital charges in Jordan Clarke’s case. This comes in addition to their call to restrict Walsh from pursuing the death penalty last Tuesday. At that time, Walsh responded, sending a statement to Channel 11 saying:
“The petition is without merit. It is a liberal Hail Mary. It is filed by a liberal Philadelphia anti-death penalty group. All of the allegations contained in it are nonsensical and contradict the law. The death penalty has been legal for a long time and I will enforce the law. I will seek justice for children, the most vulnerable and innocent members of society.”
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