Trial set to begin 2 years after Pensacola football star 'LD' Clardy was gunned down

Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal
·5 min read
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The Pensacola community was rocked after local football star Ladarius "LD" Clardy was killed in 2021 when gunmen ambushed him, firing more than 50 rounds into his car in what investigators believe was a case of mistaken identity.

Two years after the 18-year-old's death, one of his alleged killers, 23-year-old Da'quavion Snowden, will sit before a panel of 60 people during the jury selection process in what is expected to be a four-day trial.

Here's everything you need to know about the Clardy murder trial.

'We chose to take a united stand': Stunned by death of football star LD Clardy, Pensacola's Black community rallied to solve case

Clardy ambush: Sheriff: Multiple shooters fired from two vehicles in ambush of Ladarius Clardy

What are Daquavion Snowden's charges?

An Escambia County grand jury indicted Snowden Oct. 28, 2021, for his alleged involvement in the killing of Clardy.

He was indicted on:

  • First-degree premeditated murder

  • Attempted first-degree premeditated murder

  • Conspiring to commit a capital felony

His first-degree murder charge is a capital felony, and if he's convicted he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life. The additional charges are first-degree felonies and, if convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison for each count.

Daquavion Snowden arrives in court on Thursday, July 13, 2023, for a hearing before his jury selection. Snowden was indicted on one count of first-degree premeditated murder of Ladarius Clardy and one count of attempted first-degree premeditated murder for trying to kill Eric Young.
Daquavion Snowden arrives in court on Thursday, July 13, 2023, for a hearing before his jury selection. Snowden was indicted on one count of first-degree premeditated murder of Ladarius Clardy and one count of attempted first-degree premeditated murder for trying to kill Eric Young.

Who is Ladarius "LD" Clardy?

Clardy was an 18-year-old quarterback football star who graduated from Pine Forest High School in 2020.

He was was the school's all-time leading passer and went on to play with NCAA Division I FCS Kennesaw State University in Georgia. He had been back home in Pensacola for only a few hours before the shooting.

How did Ladarius Clardy die on July 1, 2021?

Investigators believe that on July 1, Clardy and his former teammate, Eric Young, traveled to a dice game and were spotted by Timothy Knight Jr. and Terrell Parker, who mistook Clardy for someone who was rumored to have taken out a hit on them, Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said at an October 2021 press conference.

Knight and Parker contacted Kobie Jenkins, Snowden and his brother Amos Snowden. When Clardy and Young left the dice game in Clardy's car, the five men followed them, according to the sheriff.

Knight and Parker trailed behind Clardy and Young in one car while the Snowden brothers and Jenkins followed behind in a second vehicle, investigators allege. Shooters in both of the two suspects' vehicles eventually opened fire at Clardy and Young, Simmons said, firing over 50 rounds into Clardy's car.

Young was injured but survived.

Clardy suspects indicted: Grand jury indicts 5 suspects on murder, attempted murder charges in LD Clardy's homicide

What happened to Ladarius Clardy's other alleged killers?

After Clardy's death in July 2021, the Snowden brothers were arrested Sept. 30, followed by Jenkins, who was arrested Oct. 15. Both Knight and Parker were arrested Oct. 22. All were then indicted for their alleged involvement in the homicide.

However, in February 2023 the Office of the State Attorney announced they dropped the charges for Jenkins, Knight and Parker.

"The lawful arrests were made based on probable cause after a comprehensive investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office," a statement said. "The legal standard for the Office of State Attorney to prosecute a crime requires a greater standard of proof beyond and to the exclusion of reasonable doubt. Currently, the evidence does not meet that standard."

Amos Snowden carries the same charges as his brother, and his next court date is set for Sept. 27.

Arrests begin: Two men arrested for killing of Pine Forest quarterback Ladarius Clardy, third man sought

Charges dropped: Ladarius Clardy case: Charges dropped against three defendants in fatal shooting

Who are the judge and attorneys in the case?

Circuit Judge John Simon will preside over the trial. Assistant State Attorney Trey Myers will prosecute Da'quavion Snowden on behalf of the state, and he will be defended by Assistant Criminal Conflict Counsel Jasmine Green.

How did Ladarius Clardy's death affect the community?

In the days and weeks after Clardy's death, his family members, community leaders and law enforcement officials called on the community to provide information to solve the case, leading hundreds of people to share tips and rumors that helped investigators eventually make arrests.

Some Black leaders in Pensacola hoped that effort was the start of a cultural shift in the city and that the outpouring of support in Clardy's homicide would permanently change the relationship between residents and police.

"In African American communities or more impoverished communities, you have this no snitching code that's in play, and it's something that has been holding us back from progress for so long and kept us from growing as a community or being better because we turn a blind eye to things," said Anwon Johnson, the owner of tattoo studio Boneface Ink and one of the community leaders behind the effort to encourage residents to share information with police. "But with this, it was almost like trying to shift the narrative of how we handled things in our own community with this situation. And it is something that we did accomplish because someone came forward with the information."

Ladarius Clardy’s family members were presented with a framed jersey by Kennesaw State University at the KSU homecoming football game, and KSU presented the lead detective who investigated Clardy’s murder with a signed football. The individuals pictures in the photograph are as follows, from left to right: Barbara Reed (Ladarius’ grandmother), Shakema Clardy (his stepmother), Ladarian Clardy (Ladarius’ brother), Ladaron Clardy (Ladarius’ father), Tracey Marshall (his mother), Elizabeth Marshall (his grandmother) and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Bruce Harris.

Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May said the tragic death pulled together the Black community in part because of who Clardy was as a person.

"He was a great athlete. He was engaged. He was involved. He was kind of a Pensacola celebrity in terms of athletics. He was a great student and had good grades," May said. "He was the profile of what you want young Black men to do: go to college, get a good education, be a good athlete. His death just stunned the community."

Clardy's parents, Ladaron and Tracey, created the Ladarius Clardy Scholarship Foundation to provide scholarship money to qualifying students to help with the cost of attending college.

Anyone who would like to donate to Clardy's scholarship fund can visit gf.me/v/c/h66j/ladarius-clardy-scholarship-foundation.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Ladarius Clardy murder trial to begin against Da'quavion Snowden