Inset: Joseph J. Clark appears in Pima County Court on Oct. 10, 2026 (KOLD). Background: The Arizona location where Clark allegedly killed his wife (KVOA).
An Arizona man is accused of killing his pregnant wife by stabbing her in the chest and running her over in the couple’s garage. Investigators say the 49-year-old later told deputies he acted after enduring years of “torture.”
Joseph Jay Clark was arrested last week and charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his 39-year-old wife, Noelle Clark, and their unborn child, authorities said.
According to a press release issued by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, deputies went to a residence in the 17000 block of South Ridgerunner Drive in Vail at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 after receiving a domestic disturbance call. First responders saw Joseph Clark leaving the property and detained him without incident.
Inside the home, deputies found Noelle Clark suffering from what initially was described as “an apparent gunshot wound.” She was pronounced dead at the scene. The couple’s two children, ages 3 and 4, were found unharmed.
Although the sheriff’s office initially said Noelle Clark appeared to have been shot, an interim criminal complaint obtained by Tucson CBS affiliate KOLD reportedly provided a different account of her injuries.
The complaint said Clark was discovered beneath a blanket in the garage, with significant head trauma and a deep chest wound consistent with a stabbing. It also noted that she “showed obvious signs of pregnancy.”
A blood-covered knife was recovered from the children’s bedroom, investigators said, according to the complaint.
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Evidence found inside the residence suggested Joseph Clark may have been attempting to “dispose of [his wife’s] remains,” investigators wrote in the complaint.
The reports available publicly do not clarify why the initial account referenced a gunshot wound while the later complaint described stabbing and blunt-force injuries. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to Law&Crime’s request for comment.
During his arrest, Joseph Clark allegedly told deputies that his wife had subjected him to electric shocks and that he had been “tortured” for “a couple of years.”
“I was shocked, that’s what caused [this],” he allegedly told authorities.
Deputies reportedly found no injuries or other evidence indicating that Joseph Clark had been tortured.
Tucson NBC affiliate KVOA reported that Noelle Clark also had bloody tire marks on her arm, which investigators allegedly believed showed that she had been run over.
The Clark children were placed in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety, Phoenix Fox affiliate KSAZ reported.
Clark appeared in court for the first time on Oct. 10. A judge ordered him held on a $1 million bond, and court records show he is scheduled for another hearing on Oct. 20.