Lyon County jury gives Silver Springs man life without parole for murder of Alea Clark
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 08/29/2016 - 12:20pm
A Silver Springs man was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole by a Lyon County jury for the 2015 murder of Alea Clark, said Lyon County District Attorney Stephen B. Rye.
Ryan Joe Coddington, 37, from Silver Springs was found guilty of first degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon on Thursday. The penalty hearing was conducted on Friday and the jury returned a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, said Rye.
The Third Judicial District Court, Department 1, will sentence Coddington for the deadly weapon enhancement on Oct. 24, 2016, at which time he will receive an additional sentence of up to 20 years.
The case against Coddington began in January 2015 when the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a missing person report.
Alea Jane Clark was reported missing on January 9, 2015. Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and Nevada Division of Investigations investigated the case, with assistance from the Washoe County Sheriff’s FIS Division, and determined that Coddington killed Alea Jane Clark at a house he owned, located in Dayton.
Alea’s remains were discovered in Silver Springs at two locations. After a several week investigation, Coddington was arrested on the charge of murder for the death of Clark.
District Attorney Rye and Jeremy Reichenberg, chief deputy district attorney, prosecuted the case. The trial lasted approximately two weeks, and included testimony about how Coddington committed the murder and then dumped, burned and buried Clark's remains at Lake Lahontan and another location in Silver Springs.
Investigators received a break in the case when a citizen reported going to Lake Lahontan and seeing the fire and the burning remains at that location. Further investigation led to the arrest of Coddington and two others in connection with the murder and destruction of Clark's body.
