False Confession Leads To Hartford Teen's Arrest In EH Murder

EAST HARTFORD, CT — Local police Thursday said a juvenile arrested for a 2022 fatal shooting of a teenager in East Hartford wasn't, actually, the trigger man.

Instead, East Hartford police said, a Hartford teenager believed responsible for the shooting death of a 17-year-old more than a year ago was charged this week in connection with the incident.

In a statement released Thursday morning, the EHPD said they have 19-year-old Jahki Clarke of Hartford in custody, charging him with first-degree manslaughter; first-degree hindering prosecution; tampering with evidence; and weapons in a motor vehicle.

Clarke, who is being held on a $750,000 bond, was taken into custody Monday, Jan. 23, at Hartford Superior Court by the EHPD Criminal Investigation Bureau, police said.

Police said, on Jan. 9, 2022, officers were sent to 25 Westbrook St. to follow up on a report of an individual being shot, with a 17-year-old victim found and pronounced dead.

According to police, subsequent investigation determined multiple occupants of a white Toyota Avalon fleeing the area were involved.

Police said investigators viewed footage of the suspect vehicle via the town's street camera system.

At the time, the probe led to the arrest of a 15-year-old juvenile suspect who, police said, confessed.

But the EHPD Thursday said the 15-year-old wasn't the actual shooter.

"Diligent detective work led police to believe the 15-year-old was not the actual shooter," wrote EHPD spokesman Marc Caruso Thursday.

He said an arrest warrant was issued for Clarke following the latest developments, with Clarke being charged after returning to Connecticut recently after fleeing the state.