Indiana Teen Breaks Into House Twice In Same Night, Goes Back A Third To Kill Homeowner, Leaves Behind Ipod

A 17-year-old North Liberty, IN boy was charged with one count of attempted murder and a count of burglary. Both crimes are class A felonies in Indiana.

The perpetrator, Austin Thaddeus Clark, entered the home of Bruce Swope at approximately 2:30 am on June 21. He entered through an open sliding door, which was not locked at the time of entry, and took a pack of cigarettes before leaving. Not satisfied with a pack of smokes, Mr. Clark decided to enter the home again, this time stealing alcohol.

After the first two entries, Mr. Clark decided to enter the house one last time. Instead of looking for something else to steal, Clark decided to top the night off by killing the home owner.

According to local news station WSJV:

“Clark told police he decided to try to kill Swope, and stabbed him twice in the head with a screwdriver while he was in his bed. Swope awoke and engaged in a struggle with Clark before subduing him and holding him at gunpoint, but when Swope went to inspect the home for other intruders, Clark took a shotgun he had found earlier in the home and shot Swope in the face.”

The injuries were not life threatening and Mr. Swope was able to call the police for assistance. While on the phone, Austin Clark exited the home, hoping to escape to freedom.

While searching the home for missing items and evidence, the police officers on the scene found an iPod that did not belong to Mr. Swope. The serial number within the iPod was sufficient enough to obtain a warrant to receive confirmation of the owner’s true identity, which lead them to Austin Clark.

Austin Clark arrived at the local police station on his own free will, with coercing from his guardian, and denied entering Mr. Swope’s home. However, after some coercing, he admitted to breaking into the house via the sliding door and entering twice before going back in the third time to kill the owner.

Austin Clark is originally from Kentucky. He only moved to North Liberty, In within the last few weeks to live with his guardian.

According to the police officer that filed the report:

“Austin Clark also advised me that he has had homicidal thoughts in the past. He also told me that if he didn’t get what he wanted from Mr. Swope’s home, he had would go to another home he had already picked out.”

Austin Clark’s bond is currently set at 1 Million dollars.

A copy of the affidavit file by the St. Joseph Superior Court can be found here.