Fort Payne machete murder suspect back behind bars

FORT PAYNE, Alabama(WDEF) – A man at the center of a brutal 2014 murder is back behind bars after he was indicted by a grand jury.

David Wooten was booked into the Dekalb County Jail after he was indicted for the murder of his neighbor, Bernie Clark.

The murder happened back in November of 2014 at Hardeman Trailer Park on Gault Avenue South.

Clark’s body was discovered inside his trailer by police.

“You could see the blood on the floor when they had the door open.”
“Lot of blood. A lot of bloodshed on that scene,” said Fort Payne Police Chief Randy Bynum.

A close neighbor identified as Bill Withers told News 12 that just before the killing, both men fought over beer.

“The slender fellow beat him up pretty good. When he went home and sobered up a little bit and looked in the mirror to realize how bad he was beaten, he got his machete and hacked him up; almost cut his arm off. He cut him twice in the back and once in the head I know,” Withers said.

Withers also told News 12 he’s not surprised by the outcome of that fight.

“They both drank. David, the guy who did the killing said he heard voices in his head all the time,” Withers said.

In 2015, Wooten posted a $250,000 bond and the case was sent over to a grand jury.

On Monday, a grand jury indicted Wooten and he was taken back into custody. His bond was set at $300,000.

At the time, that 2014 murder case was the first homicide for Fort Payne in three years.