The body of Rhonda Richardson. 59, a prison guard a the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, she was a resident of Shepherd was found on May 22, 2019, in a wooded area of the Sam Houston National Forest in San Jacinto County. She had multiple slashes on her body and blunt-force trauma to her head and face. When she was found she was fully clothed and on her back. She had been there for several days in the heat of May. There was no indication of a struggle, and there was no blood, but her boots had been removed and placed neatly next to her. What made detectives think it was a murder possibly connected to where she worked was that she still had her jewelry on. Richardson had a routine after she returned home from work daily on Hoot Road off FM 2666, and that was walking her dogs. She was found very deep in the woods across from her home but close to an ATV trail. She was found by two males riding an ATV. One of those males was Robert Clary. Clary lived just around the corner from Richardson and knew her. One thing that puzzled investigators was after finding the body, instead of calling authorities he went and told his family about it. He even tried to get his nephew to call it in saying that if he called it in he would be considered a suspect since he lived close by and knew her. He even returned to the scene to take photos of the body. Investigators were finally called by a nephew of Clary’s who Clary had taken to the scene. Investigators were suspicious of Clary from the beginning.. He told them that he knew she had been out days earlier looking for her dogs in the woods. That was the first red flag, Investigators learned from her family that she was scared of snakes. In fact, when she mowed her property he always packed a pistol. Her pistol was found at her home. After talking to other persons in the area they learned that she was seen on his ATV with him. Richardson’s body was sent to the Southeast Texas Forensic Center in Beaumont where Dr. Brown positively identified her. There were no signs of sexual assault that they could determine due to the extent of the decomposition of her body. In addition, no DNA could be recovered. Dr. Brown could not positively determine a cause of death. It was then that San Jacinto County Detectives contacted Dr. Joan Bytheway, an anthropologist and the director of Applied Anatomical Research at Sam Houston State University n Huntsville. During the second autopsy, she performed she felt Richardson had been sexually assaulted. Detectives still could not determine a motive. Detectives found no drug involvement. Texas Department of Criminal Justice was contacted and also investigated the prison system to determine if she had been a target but ended up empty-handed. Richardson had been with TDC for 25 years and was about to retire within months. Search warrants were obtained and a search was done of Clary’s residence, a travel trailer fenced-in surrounded by plants and yard art. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab was also contacted and responded to assist. The ATV was taken back to the Crime Lab for analysis. The home was searched. One thing noted was the odor of bleach and a bleach container on the counter, still not enough to get a murder warrant. Items were taken from the house including a rug back to the crime lab in Montgomery County. Detective Gary Sharpen, along with being an Investigator was also in the Army Reserves. During the time of the investigation, his unit was called up to assist on the border. The time away didn’t stop him as he still followed leads and talked with people. He still could not positively link Clary to the murder. He kept looking at Clary’s past. . Clary had been arrested before but had been years earlier. He had five prior DWI cases. In June of 1990 and again in November of 1991, and again in June of 1992 all of which were in Harris County. Then in 1994, he was again arrested for his fourth DWI. That was in Montgomery County. For that, he was sentenced to 7 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice after spending almost 9-months in the Montgomery County Jail. On June 21, 2003, he was arrested for his fifth DWI in Montgomery County for which Judge Underwood sentenced him to 4 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The DWI cases were just a few of his array of prior charges. He had several assault charges in Harris County both in 1998 and 2004. In 2007 he was arrested in Harris County on a felony charge of indecency with a child by exposing. He was sentenced to 5 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Still, there was not enough evidence for an arrest and the case went cold. Sharpen even brought in the FBI and US Forest Service Investigative Unit since it happened on Federal Land. Still, nothing, and the case went cold. Sharpen then contacted Veteran Harris County Prosecutor Kelly Siegler. Siegler, who now hosts the “Cold Justice” television show. Since starting the show, Siegler and her team have solved over 21 Cold Cases, with almost 50 arrests and over 20 convictions. With a fresh set of eyes, they went to work. Advances in electronic forensics allowed for more evidence to be gleaned by investigators in October of 2022. Detectives Gary Sharpen and Omar Sheik with the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office consulted with experts in the field of digital forensics and pathology, re-interviewed witnesses, and reviewed past evidence. The team was able to take Richardson’s cell phone coordinates and trace them to the last location which was almost where she was found. They then did the same for Clary’s phone. His phone coordinates put him very close to where her last point was. Now they had enough for an arrest warrant, Sharpen went to the Honorable Judge John Wells of the 411th District Court. Judge John Wells signed the warrant and before the ink was even dry Sharpen had Clary in custody. Clary first asked what he was being arrested for, he acted just a little surprised but didn’t argue it. Detectives also learned from family members of Clary that he told them he figured he would be arrested sooner or later for the murder. Monday afternoon, San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office Gary Sharpen escorted Robert Dale Clary into the San Jacinto County Jail with a set of bracelets he thought he would never see.
San Jacinto County Criminal District Attorney Todd Dillon said he would like to commend the dedication of Detective Gary Sharpen, Detective Omar Sheik, and Sheriff Greg Capers in bringing justice to the Richardson family. “Rhonda’s children and grandchildren have waited over three years for justice.
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By Scott Engle/MCPR- https://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/
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