The Web of Lies

The real story, as Clarance has always understood it, revolves around Michelle Thompson Chastain and her cousin Ronald. The victims were not chosen at random. There was specific, personal history. Tara Burchett-Thompson, Mitch’s wife and Kayla’s mother, one of the people killed that night, had filed a sexual assault complaint against Ronald at his workplace. This was not random violence. This was personal. This was settled scores.

Michelle’s own best friend Penny had testified that Michelle was the one who had been planning it. That testimony came from inside Michelle’s own circle, from someone with no obvious reason to lie about it. Even after the murders, when Ronald and Clarance were placed for a short time in the same jail pod while awaiting trial, Ronald wrote Clarance notes. In those notes, he tried to explain that he “didn’t have a choice,” that he knew Clarance had nothing to do with what had happened. Those notes went to Clarance’s attorney. They were not enough.

Douglas Miller was a former Owasso resident who ended up jailed next to Ronald. He later signed an affidavit stating that Ronald had admitted to him that Clarance was not involved: that he had only started mentioning Clarance’s name because the police kept bringing it up during interrogation, threatening him until he gave them what they wanted. Clarance’s lawyers were supposed to subpoena Douglas Miller. They were supposed to bring him to trial. They never subpoenaed him. He never appeared in court. That was the quality of legal representation Clarance received.

Edwards had told him, early on, that there was one rule he had maintained across fifteen-plus years of practice: you never let a shooter testify, especially not someone who had shot a little girl. But that rule was broken for Ronald Thompson. Because without Ronald, there was no case. Without a case, there was no conviction. And the system needed a conviction.

Michelle lives free.