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I Hope He ‘Rots In Hell,’ Father Of Murdered Arizona Teen Says Of Her Suspect Boyfriend
Jon Christopher Clark has been charged with the murder of 19-year-old Kiera Bergman, who was found dead a month after disappearing.
The boyfriend of an Arizona teen who disappeared last month has been charged in her death.
Police discovered the body of 19-year-old Kiera Bergman last week after a month-long search. Jon Christopher Clark, 23, was charged with her murder Tuesday according to ABC 15 Arizona.
Bergman's parents were not surprised by the charges and said they were suspicious of the man who had been dating their daughter ever since she first disappeared on Aug. 4.
"We believed from the beginning he was involved, but without any information we didn't want to put him out there as a bad person without knowing some facts," her father, Chris Bragg, told the news channel.
If he is guilty, Bragg told The Arizona Republic he hopes he "rots in hell."
Clark has been in custody since Aug. 17 after he was arrested on unrelated charges that included aggravated felony theft and two counts of forgery.
Bergman was last seen at her apartment on Aug. 4, after Clark had picked her up early from work that morning.
In an earlier interview with the Arizona Republic, Clark told the newspaper that Bergman had left the apartment between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. after the two had gotten into an argument.
"I had nothing to do with anything that’s going on,” Clark said at the time. "I love Kiera with all my heart. I want Kiera to come home."
Shortly after her disappearance police announced that they suspected foul play. Her body was discovered Sept. 3 along State Route 85, about 45 minutes away from her apartment.
Kiera's mother, Kiersten Bragg, said her daughter had only been dating Clark for about three months before she moved to Arizona to be with him. She described their relationship as unstable and said the two were frequently breaking up, according to CBS 5/3TV.
“They fought a lot," she told the station.
The news of Clark's arrest has been able to bring the family some sense of peace.
"I was relieved and in a way I'm happy," her mom told ABC 15. "I pray that the situation opens up a lot of especially young women's eyes to the dangers that are out there and that you think twice before you get involved with certain people."
Clark is being held on a $1 million bond, according to ABC News, and is expected to appear in court again on Sept. 18.
[Photo: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children]
