A Midland County jury has convicted Clinton Lee Young III of capital murder for the 2001 killing of Samuel Petrey. The incident occurred after Young carjacked Petrey at gunpoint in Eastland, Texas, and later shot him twice in the head at an oil lease site.
The sequence of events began on November 23, 2001, when Young stole a .22 Colt Huntsman pistol during a burglary at a sporting goods store in East Texas. Witnesses reported seeing Young leave Longview in a white Grand Prix sedan on November 25, accompanied by David Page Jr., who was also charged as a co-defendant. The pair planned to travel to Midland to visit Young's girlfriend but abandoned their vehicle en route.
During this time, Samuel Petrey had returned to Eastland with his wife after Thanksgiving and went grocery shopping at Brookshire’s supermarket. It was there that Young and Page robbed him at gunpoint and forced him into his own white Chevrolet pickup truck, driving him towards Midland.
Surveillance footage captured the three men at an Odessa hospital around 4:30 a.m. on November 26th and later that morning at a Walmart in northwest Midland. At the Walmart, Young unsuccessfully attempted to purchase another firearm using Petrey as an intermediary or "straw purchaser." Following this attempt, they drove Petrey to an oil lease site south of Midland where he was murdered.
After the murder, Young dropped off Page before proceeding alone to meet his girlfriend. Authorities were alerted after she discovered he was driving a stolen vehicle—the same Chevrolet pickup truck—and still possessed the Colt Huntsman pistol. Law enforcement tracked down Young through cell phone records and eventually located him driving Petrey's truck. A high-speed chase ensued before officers disabled the vehicle and arrested Young with the pistol still in his possession.
Ballistics confirmed that shell casings found near Petrey's body matched those fired from the stolen weapon. Although initially convicted in 2003, Young's conviction was vacated on appeal; however, under existing laws from that period, he must serve forty years before being eligible for parole—of which he has already served approximately twenty years.
The prosecution team included Assistant Attorney Generals Marie Primm, Joshua Somers, and Matthew Ottoway while Sgt. Investigator David Fugitt led investigations for the Office of Attorney General (OAG).