Serial Pedophile Sentenced to Life in Prison
SAN JACINTO COUNTY, TX- Another nightmare that happened in Shepherd ended in Coldspring Thursday, thanks to the tireless efforts of the San Jacinto County District Attorney’s Office and their determination to remove child predators from their community.
It took only two-and-a-half hours for the jury to return a guilty verdict in the trial of Jeremy Clary – a registered sex offender and parolee who preyed upon the two grandsons of his common-law wife. First Assistant District Attorney Rob Freyer and Criminal District Attorney Todd Dillon prosecuted the case, in the 411th District Court of San Jacinto County, before Judge John Wells, III. Testimony began on Tuesday, and by Thursday afternoon, the defendant’s fate was sealed.
Jeremy Steven Clary, 42, of Shepherd was convicted of Sexual Assault of a Child, which carried an automatic sentence of life in prison due to his previous conviction on the same offense. Clary was already on the Texas Sex Offender Registry due to a January 2005 conviction of sexually abusing a 6-year-old male relative. Clary served nine years of a 12-year sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and was required to keep information updated on the Texas Sex Offender Registry for the rest of his life. That crime was also committed and prosecuted in San Jacinto County. His criminal record was, admittedly, known to the woman with whom he shared his life, the grandmother of the two latest known victims. Of course, prosecutors say the woman believed the allegations were lies in both cases, and she testified on his behalf. His mother and sister also testified for the defense.
The crime for which Clary was sentenced to life in prison Thursday occurred in 2021. The victims were visiting from Pettis County Missouri. The boys’ father sent them separately to their grandmother’s Texas home, unwittingly creating an opportunity for Clary to abuse them without a witness. They were 10 years old and 12 years old when Clary sexually assaulted them.
According to Freyer, the younger brother was first to make an outcry, and the older brother then found the courage to speak out. He had no idea his little brother shared the same painful secret. Missouri’s Department of Social Services became involved after Pettis County Deputies took the initial report. Officials in Pettis County contacted the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, prompting an investigation where the crime occurred.
The lead investigator for SJCSO was Deputy Omar Sheik, who recovered images from phones in Clary’s possession that corroborated both victims’ stories. Medical records and Missouri Department of Social Services records further corroborated the victims’ statements. Sheik was a vital part of building the case.
Freyer and Dillon expressed their appreciation for everyone who joined forces to see that justice was served. Retired Detective Mike Messinger, who was the lead Detective in Clary’s 2004 case, traveled from Washington state this week to testify against Clary. SJCSO Deputy Todd Asbury and Detective Susan Clevenger also went the extra mile, as did caseworkers Sarah Bass and Makenna Westhusing from Missouri’s DSS.
Criminal District Attorney Todd Dillon and First Assistant District Attorney Rob Freyer issued a statement thanking “the dedicated professionals of the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office, San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, the Missouri Department of Social Services, as well as forensic interviewers and victim’s assistance professionals who fought valiantly to see justice done.”
Dillon had the highest praise for the courageous victims.
“Even though these professionals performed above and beyond their duties, the true heroes of this story were two young boys who faced down their abuser in an open courtroom,” he said.
“According to statistics provided by the Children’s Advocacy Center of Texas, over 45,000 children received services related to sexual assault in Texas in 2022. Of these cases, 98 percent knew the perpetrator,” Dillon said. “This verdict reinforces the fact that the people of San Jacinto County will protect their children and severely punish anyone who preys upon the future of our county.”
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Editor’s Note: Jeremy Clary is the nephew of Robert Clary, also of Shepherd, another registered sex offender, who is charged with murdering and scalping Shepherd resident Rhonda Richardson. She was a 59-year-old prison guard at the Polunsky Unit, and Robert Clary’s neighbor. Her mutilated body was found in the Sam Houston National Forest in 2019 after law enforcement received a tip.
Robert Clary claimed he “found” the body but didn’t report it to law enforcement. He also allegedly returned with his nephew on 4-wheelers to take photographs of her dead body, but still didn’t report it. It’s unclear at this point whether Jeremy Clary is THAT nephew.
According to multiple reports, Robert Clary is alleged to have told family members he found Richardson’s body, and asked them to call and report the location to police, saying he would be a suspect if he made the report. Robert knew Richardson because they were neighbors. Later, information made public revealed his mobile phone was determined to be on the trail where Richardson’s body was found at the same time that Richardson was on that trail in the National Forest, and at the time when her cell phone data indicated she stopped moving and never used the phone again. Eventually, investigators located a witness whose statement made Robert Clary the last person seen with Richardson. Supposedly, her dogs ran into the woods and Robert Clary volunteered to help Richardson find them. People saw them head out, according to investigators, but never saw Richardson again.
Advancements in technology and forensic investigation are rapidly advancing, and after three and a half years, technology gave law enforcement crucial information from the alleged killer’s and the victim’s cell phones. By then, they also had at least one credible witness confirming Robert Clary was the last person seen with her alive. Then, there were the odd details that included Robert Clary claiming he discovered the body but didn’t notify police, and family members allegedly being asked to report the body’s location.
The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office secured a warrant and arrested Robert Clary for the murder of Rhonda Richardson on November 7, 2022 – almost exactly one year before his nephew received a life sentence for a different kind of heinous crime.
Below is an MCPR video report on the case against Robert Clary-
