Tearful Seneca woman tells jury of her December 6 ordeal

On the witness stand, tears temporarily interrupted a Seneca woman’s testimony, but she then pointed to the defendant and declared that he was the one who pulled a gun on her at and forced his way into her home. The trial of Greenville resident William Junior Clark on charges of kidnapping and burglary first degree opened today in the Oconee General Sessions Court in Walhalla. The prosecution introduced photographic evidence that showed Cynthia DuPree, the victim, circled and signed her name to Clark’s photograph from six photographs of men shown her by the Seneca police. But the lawyer for defendant Clark said the burglary and kidnapping never happened because his client never got beyond the sliding glass door at DuPree’s home on Summit Street. The homeowner claims she answered a knock at the door to find a man seeking her signature for a petition that he said was aimed to help children. But DuPree says when she asked the man for a pen, he reached into his pocket and pulled a gun, pointed the gun at her, walked into her home and demanded money. The man eventually drove away in a silver car after ordering the homeowner to retrieve a bag from a trash can outside the home. According to DuPree, the intruder twice threatened to kill her if she tried to run or called the police.