The Shadow of Ferry Street: Justice Casts Its Light on a Charleston Tragedy

It was a late summer evening on August 30, 2021, when the quiet of Charleston's West Side was shattered, forever altering lives on Ferry Street. A life, that of 45-year-old Mark Anthony Coleman, was senselessly taken. And now, more than two years later, a jury in Kanawha County has delivered its verdict, bringing a grim, yet perhaps necessary, closure to the families involved.

Anthony L. Clark, aged 47, stands convicted. Guilty, the jury declared, of murder in Coleman's death, and perhaps even more chillingly, of two counts of attempted murder against Christopher Jones and another unidentified individual. Circuit Judge Jennifer P. Dent has since imposed a life sentence for the murder charge, adding a consecutive 1 to 15 years for each of the attempted murder counts. A profound sentence, to be sure, reflecting the profound gravity of the crimes.

The trial itself, unfolding over three intense days, hinged significantly on the testimony of Christopher Jones, a man who, in truth, survived an attempt on his own life that night. Jones recounted for the jury a harrowing scene: seeing Clark fire a weapon at Coleman. Then, as if that weren't enough, Clark allegedly turned the gun on Jones himself. Miraculously, Jones escaped, running for his life, though not before he heard the sickening sound of more shots fired in his direction. Later, from the safety of a hospital bed, Jones identified Clark from a photographic lineup shown via a body camera — a piece of evidence, you could say, that spoke volumes without uttering a single word.

The prosecution, led by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer Sergent, painted a stark picture for the jury. They suggested that Jones owed Clark money, a motive, sadly, as old as time itself for such violent acts. Sergent underscored the credibility of Jones's testimony, bolstered by those bullet casings found near where he was shot, not to mention the crucial identification he provided.

But the defense, spearheaded by Assistant Public Defender John D. Nakaishi, offered an alternative narrative, one of self-defense. Clark, Nakaishi argued, was simply reacting, asserting that Coleman and Jones had initiated the gunfire, forcing Clark to respond. Yet, and this is where the human element of justice often finds its footing, the defense provided no corroborating evidence — no witnesses, no physical proof — to support this claim. A crucial omission, one might suggest, in the face of compelling testimony.

And so, after weighing the harrowing accounts, the stark evidence, and the legal arguments, the jury deliberated. Their decision, rendered in just two hours, left little room for doubt: guilty on all charges. It’s a moment that, for the victims and their loved ones, closes a chapter, yes, but surely never fully erases the scar of that tragic August night on Ferry Street. For Anthony Clark, it marks the end of his freedom, a life behind bars, a testament to the heavy hand of justice in a world that, for better or worse, seeks accountability.