David Mark Clark, the crystal therapist and tennis instructor accused of running down four cyclists in a six-minute rampage last year, appeared in court yesterday where his lawyers say he will claim insanity.
A judge ruled yesterday that there was enough evidence for Clark to stand trial on attempted murder charges. His attorney, Brendan Conroy, told reporters that Clark has had a history of mental illness, and will use insanity as his defense.
Clark had been tossed out of SFO for "acting crazy" before the June 2,
2010, nighttime attacks where he seriously injured three of the four
cyclists he had hit.
During yesterday's preliminary hearing, prosecutors played tapes of a weeping Clark talking to police two days after the rampage. He told police, "I'm hearing voices in my head telling me things. I
don't know what happened. I was in a
terrible accident."
Clark is accused of mowing down four cyclists in the Mission and Potrero Hill neighborhoods with his 2008 Nissan Rogue. Witnesses told police they saw the SUV swerve several times to deliberately hit the cyclists. After mowing down his fourth victim, Clark crashed into a light pole and ran away. He had purchased a one-way ticket to New York City that day.
Two days later, Clark told police he had been carjacked, only to change his story. He said he was hearing voices in his head that were telling him to drive around and he couldn't stop.
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