Woman pleads guilty in deadly beating of Sunset Park man

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington woman will spend between 18 and 23 years behind bars for her role in a deadly robbery and beating.

Donna Beck, 46, pleaded guilty to second degree murder and armed robbery of a Sunset Park man.

On March 20, 2016, just before 6:00 p.m., David Leroy Clark, 55, was attacked and robbed in his home on Alabama Street. He was severely beaten and hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Clark died of his injuries on April 8, nearly three weeks later.

Charges against Beck’s co-defendants, Mark Steven Landreth, Jr., William Fought, and Joshua Chavis are still pending.  Investigators say Beck drove the men to Clark’s home to sell him pain medication. Once inside, the men assaulted Clark and took money, medication and watches.

Beck told police she gave the men a ride to Clark’s house, had asked Clark if he was okay, and left the men at Clark’s house and went home. Before giving the men a ride, Beck said she heard the co-defendants say that if Clark did not give up his property, they would beat him and take everything he had.

“We believe the men may not have been able to enter the home without Ms. Beck’s contact and relationship with the victim, getting him to unlock and open the door,” Connie Jordan, the assistant district attorney assigned to the case, said in a statement.