ST. GEORGE — More than four years after a man was fatally shot in Apple Valley, the alleged shooter was sentenced at a hearing in St. George, where the victim’s family members and supporters described a loss that many said will last forever.
Jason Howard Clinger, 56, of Apple Valley, appeared for a sentencing hearing at the 5th District Court on June 13. He faced a first-degree murder charge he entered a plea of “no contest” to in April.
Clinger was charged following the death of 50-year-old Todd Stratton of Rockville in 2019. Stratton was fatally shot outside of a remote residence in Apple Valley that he owned. He was in the process of selling it to the defendant, his longtime friend.
District Judge Keith C. Barnes presided over the hearing. Prosecutor Zachary Weiland represented the state, and Clinger was represented by defense attorney Ryan Stout.
The shooting
The shooting was reported on the afternoon of Oct. 8, 2019, when Washington County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Plataclay Mine in Apple Valley, where they found the victim dead from what appeared to be at least one gunshot wound.
Investigators later learned that Clinger and Stratton had known each other since grade school. The pair had entered into a civil contract regarding the property, which Stratton was trading to Clinger in exchange for work. Those terms were called into question when the two reportedly got into a heated argument over whether Clinger was providing the agreed-upon services.
After the argument escalated into a physical altercation, Clinger reportedly shot the victim in the back with a shotgun. Clinger initially claimed this was in self-defense, but this changed when he learned the incident was captured on video. The footage shows the victim walking toward his truck and opening the door, and then Clinger is heard saying, “It’s over for you.”
As soon as the victim turns, the sound of a gunshot rings out. The phone drops to the ground facedown but continues to record audio of the victim begging for his life and asking for an ambulance while the defendant is heard saying, “This is what happens when you threaten to throw someone out of their home. You should expect this.”
Road to justice is five years in the making
During the sentencing hearing, Weiland referred to the video, which surfaced during the investigation, to support the state’s position that Stratton likely suspected that Clinger would kill him over being evicted.
Weiland added that Stratton himself must have thought as much before his death. It was Stratton who recorded his own murder using the cellphone that was placed in his pocket during the incident.
The video also contradicted Clinger’s claims of self-defense, which Weiland said could have resulted in the charge being downgraded to manslaughter. But that was never an option in this case.
“The state was not going to accept anything less than murder,” he said.
The defendant’s “no contest” plea was mentioned several times during victim impact statements. It allowed Clinger to proceed to sentencing with the understanding that his actions formed the basis for charges he would likely be convicted of if the case went to trial without having to admit guilt.
Todd Davis, a longtime friend of the Stratton family, said the plea caused the family to relive the hell they endured over the last five years filled with court delays. Additionally, he said the defendant’s actions have directly impacted Stratton’s younger family members, who would never know the example Stratton set for others by how he lived his life.
He closed by saying there was only one appropriate punishment in the case.
“If life without parole is not your first thought, then maybe you should consider making this a capital case,” Davis said.
Stratton’s cousin, Ryan Ballard, described him as a man with a big heart who was “unbelievably generous to so many people,” including the defendant — actions Ballard said the defendant took advantage of over and over again by lying, cheating and stealing from him with no regret.
So much so, Ballard said, it was the victim who gave Clinger a place to live and money to help him — for years — up until the day the defendant killed him.
Then, while Clinger was out on bail, Ballard said the family had to sit by and watch as he sold the victim’s property. It was only after video of the murder surfaced that Clinger’s bond was revoked, and he was placed back in jail. No matter what sentence the court imposes, he said, it would not come anywhere close to filling the tremendous hole left by the victim’s loss.
The victim’s son, Cason Stratton, described the last day he spoke to his father while making a repair at a shop.
“When we finished, I told him, ‘I’ll see you when I get back from this job. And if not, I love you and I’ll see you in the morning.’ And I watched as he walked away, not knowing that would be the last time I would hear his voice,” Cason Stratton said.
Clinger, he said, was someone his father spoke highly of, who shot him in the back and then taunted him while he begged for his life — to not be taken from his son.
“You killed the only man who saw you for what you could be instead of who you are,” Cason Stratton said.
He then asked the judge to show Clinger the same mercy the defendant showed his father as he left him to bleed out alone.
“He deserves no mercy,” Cason Stratton said.
Stratton’s mother, Lila Ballard, said the day her only child was murdered was the day her heart was broken, and it continues breaking every day. She said her son had worked hard his entire life, starting at age 12 when he was loading trucks while other children were busy playing. And while her son was not a rich man, he worked for everything he had.
The same could not be said of the defendant, who only took advantage of her son’s generosity, Lila Ballard said, adding to the defendant: “It seems the more he did for you, the more you expected and the less you appreciated.”
“Todd moved to Rockville to be closer to me so he could help me. Tod always showed me so much love and respect. My heart is broken, thank goodness for all the wonderful memories, at least you can’t take that away,” Lila Ballard said.
“You murdered my son. Now you get to pay for your actions,” she said.
Weiland said as far as the state was concerned, there was never any plea offer in the case that involved a reduced charge, such as manslaughter, but it was a murder case from the beginning and nothing less.
Those findings were reportedly based on the statements made by Clinger himself, who told several others that if Stratton ever evicted him he would kill him.
Stout said while there was nothing he could say to bring the victim back, the evidence clearly showed, in his opinion, that his client was in a mental health crisis that day.
“That doesn’t excuse anything, but I think it does help explain some of what happened that terrible day,” he said.
Clinger became emotional while addressing the court. He said he could not imagine the pain and anguish Stratton’s mother and family were going through, and he was sorry.
“I can’t do anything to bring him back. I miss him every day. He was my best friend,” Clinger added.
Judge Barnes said the many letters the court received on behalf of the victim helped him “get to know Todd Stratton.”
Those letters also demonstrated the ripple effects of crime — the grave effects it has on the families of both sides, which also makes these types of cases so difficult.
Barnes said he was limited in his powers regarding sentencing. Utah has indeterminate sentencing, meaning that after the mandatory minimum, the actual terms are left to the Board of Pardons and Parole, which will ultimately determine how much time the defendant actually serves.
Still, the judge sentenced Clinger to serve 15 years to life in Utah State Prison on the first-degree murder charge — the maximum sentence under Utah law. He was ordered to begin serving out the sentence immediately, and the transport order was signed during the hearing.
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