Contra Costa County prosecutors made the determination after pursuing additional investigative leads.
MARTINEZ — The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office will not file an accessory after the fact charge against the mother of a man suspected of murdering Alexis Gabe three years ago.
In a news release Thursday, the district attorney’s office revealed that it pursued additional investigative leads after meeting with Gabe’s family in December, but their efforts did not yield sufficient evidence to try Alicia Coleman-Clark for the crime.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the Gabe family for the unimaginable loss of Alexis,” District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement. “Our office has worked tirelessly over the past three years to pursue every lead. While we have concluded our investigation into this matter, we remain committed to supporting the Gabe family.”
Gabe’s family said they were “extremely disappointed” in the decision.
“We just concluded a conversation with DA Diana Becton and Deputy DA Simon O’Connell,” the family said in a statement posted to social media. “Despite having a substantial amount of evidence, they still declined to pursue charges.”
One of the leads involved re-interviewing Coleman-Clark’s ex-boyfriend to clarify statements he made to law enforcement in 2022, according to the district attorney’s office.
The ex-boyfriend reiterated that a reference made by Coleman-Clark to something “cold” related to a soda can, not to Gabe’s remains, prosecutors said, adding that “no evidence has been found to contradict his explanation regarding a cold soda can.”
Investigators also obtained a warrant to search airline ticket purchase records for Marshall Curtis Jones III, the man authorities believe murdered Gabe, to determine whether Coleman-Clark had facilitated the transaction, according to the district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said the records did not indicate any purchase activity involving Coleman-Clark. Instead, it appears the flight was arranged through a third-party vendor, and “no further purchase details have been identified by law enforcement.”
Another lead involved additional forensic analysis of a shirt recovered with Gabe’s remains. No gunshot residue was found on the article of clothing and there was no indication it had been penetrated by gunfire, according to the district attorney’s office.
Finally, prosecutors attempted to track down a second plastic bag with Gabe’s remains, which was recovered by a search and rescue team in Amador County. The Antioch and Oakley police departments confirmed it was never provided to any local law enforcement agency.
“As such, there is no second bag to test for the presence of a contributor’s DNA,” prosecutors said.
No DNA was found on the other plastic bag, according to the district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said they determined some information raised suspicion about Coleman-Clark’s potential culpability as an accessory after the fact, but “there are plausible alternative explanations that point against her guilt.” After reviewing the “totality of the evidence,” the district attorney’s office concluded “there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the elements required to charge” her.
Gabe, 23, of Oakley, vanished after visiting Jones, her ex-boyfriend, at his Antioch home on Jan. 26, 2022. Eleven months later, her partial remains were found in two parts of Amador County, about 10 miles apart.
Authorities quickly identified Jones as a suspect. Evidence of his involvement in Gabe’s disappearance included Ring camera footage from Coleman-Clark’s home in Antioch. The footage showed Jones pulling up in his Ford Explorer and unloading what police referred to in their reports as the same “heavy, bulky bags” an Oakley officer had seen inside the SUV during an interview with Jones at his home.
“I didn’t wanna do it, but I did it,” Jones purportedly said to himself as he passed the camera.
Later, the camera captured Coleman-Clark telling Jones, “They’re ice cold, like they just came out of a refrigerator.” Police believed Coleman-Clark was referring to the bags.
Police searched Coleman-Clark’s home and found plane tickets to Washington, as well as a missing-persons flyer for Gabe at the bottom of a trash can, according to authorities.
Jones was charged with Gabe’s murder, but he never set foot in a courtroom. On June 1, 2022, U.S. Marshals shot and killed him while serving an arrest warrant in Kent, Washington. Authorities said the marshals opened fire when Jones charged at them with a knife.
Check back for updates.
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