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Man sentenced in 2013 murder of wife found dead in ditch

PITTSBURGH — A Tarentum man was sentenced Tuesday for fatally beating his wife and dumping her body in a ditch in Plum Township in July 2013.

Thomas Clark, 53, was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty in March to third-degree murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse in the death of 50-year-old Jill Clark.

Thomas Clark initially told police when his wife’s body was discovered that she had left their home after an argument, according to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. He later admitted to police that he had struck her several times with a jack handle after confronting her about a relationship with another man.

Jill Clark’s body was found several days later, wrapped in plastic near a utility road, the district attorney’s office said.