On the third day of Da’quavion Snowden’s murder trial Wednesday, the majority of testimony provided by the prosecutor came from Snowden’s 2021 police interviews.
Snowden is charged with the first-degree premeditated murder of Kennesaw State University and former Pine Forest High School quarterback Ladarius “LD” Clardy and the attempted first-degree premeditated murder of Eric Young after a July 1, 2021, shooting.
The “smoking gun” in the case seems to be Snowden’s own testimony. While he chose not to testify during his trial, Assistant State Attorney Trey Myers played hours of interview footage between Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators and Snowden recorded in September 2021.
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During the interview with multiple investigators, Snowden said he was driving the car with his brothers, Amos Snowden, and Kobie Jenkins when Clardy died from his gunshot wounds. The problem for Snowden came when he said he didn’t think he could be charged with murder if he was only the driver.
“I didn’t have a gun. I just drove the car,” Da’quavion Snowden said during the interview. “I don’t understand why they can charge me with murder. I don’t want to be charged with murder. I’ll be charged with accessories or driving the car, but I didn’t shoot nobody.”
Investigators told Snowden that he can be charged with principal to the crime, which under state law means that you don’t have to commit the crime to necessarily be charged with the crime.
Although he was admitted to driving the getaway car, Da’quavion Snowden said he was forced to drive by his brother and Jenkins because of their “big ol’ guns.” He said he was scared to say no because he didn’t have a gun and they did.
Despite the investigators explaining to Da’quavion Snowden that he could be charged as a principal to Clardy’s homicide, he continued to say he never shot a gun and that the murder charge won’t “stick.”
“The murder’s not going to stick,” Da’quavion Snowden told investigators. “It’s not going to stick. I didn’t kill nobody.”
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Amos Snowden is also charged with first-degree premeditated murder and attempted first-degree premeditated murder, and he is awaiting his next court date in September.
Three others originally involved in the case had their charges dropped early in the year.
Jenkins, Timothy Knight Jr. and Terrell Parker were indicted with the Snowden brothers for Clardy’s homicide and Young’s attempted homicide, but the Office of the State Attorney later dismissed those charges, citing a lack of evidence.
After the interview videos, former Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Timothy Gallagher took the stand and explained that of the 58 rounds fired on July 1, 2021, 14 of them hit Clardy.
Gallagher said one hit him in front of the ear, breaking apart in his brain, and two other bullets bounced off his ribs and punctured his lungs.
The crowd watching the proceedings was overall calm and orderly, in stark contrast to Tuesday, when the families of Clardy and Snowden got into multiple altercations.
Da’quavion Snowden will prepare for his final day of trial Thursday when both attorneys will provide their closing arguments and the jury will begin deliberations.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Da’quavion Snowden day 3 of Ladarius Clardy murder trial in Pensacola