VTC NEWS

A 42-year-old Air Force recruiter and father disappears from his home.

Background

Jason Hamrick was born in March 1977. Jason’s mom, Amy, said he wasn’t into sports, but liked learning about cars. After high school graduation, Jason joined the Air Force, where he worked as mechanic on airplanes.

Jason loved that the military allowed him to travel. While he was in South Korea, he met a woman named Angelina, who was from Russia. Angelina worked as a cocktail waitress at one of her father’s nightclubs when they met.

Angelina and Jason married in 2009, had 3 kids together, and settled in the small town of Bethel, Ohio.

Jason Hamrick

In 2015, Jason was working as a recruiter in Cincinnati. It was a difficult thing for Angelina to live in a small town, and not have much family around. Jason wanted to save the marriage, and decided to retire from the military.

By January 2018, Jason and Angelina had one last trip planned to save their marriage. They went on a cruise with one of Jason’s co-workers, Michael Drew Clark, and his wife. But, after the trip, they knew their marriage was over.

In March 2018, Jason filed for divorce. The former couple decided that they would live under the same roof for their sons.

On June 30, 2019, Jason was said to drive to Indiana, where his parents lived. Jason and his children were planning to attend a family birthday party. Jason wasn’t responding to phone calls, and his sons contacted Jason’s mom and stepfather.

The Discovery

The police went to Hamrick’s house for a welfare check. Angelina was surprised, and didn’t know that Amy and John had reported Jason disappearance.

Angelina told the police that she had last seen Jason on Friday, June 28. She said they had a campfire outside, and then she took the kids to get pizza. Angelina said it wasn’t unusual for her and Jason not to talk for several days. They lived together, but came and went as they pleased.

The police looked around the house. They did not find any sign of a struggle or foul play. But, they did find an empty gun case, where Jason stashed his .9mm pistol.

At 7:48pm on June 30, Jason’s neighbor called 911. He said that he and his wife had returned home, and saw a body in a ditch at the end of their driveway. The neighbors lived about a half mile down the road from Jason and Angelina.

Jason’s body was found in the ditch. He was lying face up, and covered with cut grass clippings. He had a wound to his head, but there was no murder weapon found at the scene. Jason’s clothing was also shredded as if he had been dragged. The police believed Jason had been killed somewhere else, so they needed to find the secondary crime scene.

After Jason’s body was found, the police went back to the Hamrick home. Angelina agreed to go to the station for an interview.

Angelina told the police that she, Jason, and the kids had a campfire on June 28. Angelina said Jason went inside around 9pm, and overslept on the couch. She took the kids out for pizza, and when she returned, she thought Jason was asleep in the bedroom because the door was closed.

The police asked Angelina if she had been seeing anyone else besides Jason. Angelina said yes, she had started an affair with Michael Drew Clark in October 2017. Angelina said she loved him, and that he was also going through a divorce.

Angelina Hamrick and Michael Drew Clark

The Eyewitnesses

The day after Jason’s body was found, the police traveled to Indiana to interview his parents and kids.

Amy told the police that Jason had been suspicious that Angelina was having an affair. She said Angelina had planned the cruise in 2018 to be around Michael.

The police spoke to Jason and Angelina’s oldest kids, who were 10 and 7 at the time. They said while they were at the campfire, they heard a loud bang while their parents were inside. The 7-year-old became thirsty, and walked to the house to get water. When he was at the back door, he found his dad lying on the couch covered with a blanket. He said his mom wouldn’t let him inside, and they left to get pizza. They did not see their dad again after that.

The Evidence

A search warrant was obtained for the Hamrick house. While the police were searching the back deck, they found a pool tarp. They spread the tarp out, and discovered that a piece of the tarp had been cut. The missing piece was never found.

The police also searched the half mile road from the Hamrick’s leading to the neighbors house. In the grass, they found material from blue jeans.

The police contacted a forensics team from Cincinnati to come to the Hamrick house. The forensics team used BlueStar, and it “lit up like a Christmas tree.” It was apparent that Jason had been killed inside the home, and dragged to the area where his body was found.

The Plan

On July 1, the police were able to get into contact with Michael. Michael admitted that he and Angelina had spoken about wanting Jason dead. He said that Angelina talked about either shooting, stabbing, or poisoning Jason.

Michael said he wasn’t in Ohio during the time of the murder because he had moved to Texas. He said he was in Ohio about 2 weeks before the murder. The police were able to use Michael’s phone records to confirm his alibi.

The Sting Operation

During Michael’s multigraph test, he was asked if he knew who killed Jason. He said no, but the polygraph said he was lying. Michael then admitted that Angelina had called him on June 28, and admitted to killing Jason. Angelina said she had found his key to the gun case, and shot him, and it left a mess. Michael told Angelina to dispose of the body.

Michael was taken into custody, and charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. Angelina was arrested on July 6, 2019, and charged with aggravated murder.

The police also found evidence that Angelina had been planning to kill Jason since June 17. She had made several searches on Google about poison. On June 28, she had searched how to illegally move children to Russia. Jason and Angelina also had a divorce hearing scheduled for a few days after the murder.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Angelina claimed she was trying to protect and be with her children. But, she shot a sleeping man while his children were just in the backyard. She then wrapped around his body, and dragged him down the road. At any time of the night, the boys could’ve woken up and saw their mom cleaning up the house. The 7-year-old saw his father on the couch, but believed he was sleeping. Now, the boys don’t have their parents. But, Amy and John are amazing for taking in their grandchildren, and giving them a wonderful life.