GREENE COUNTY — The Enon man charged in the death of Leonid “Lonya” Clark, whose body was found at the Glen Helen Nature Preserve in the spring of 2019, is scheduled to change his plea.
Zyrian Atha-Arnett, 28, is facing charges of murder and felonious assault. He also was charged earlier this year with 24 unrelated charges for pandering obscenity involving a minor and pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.
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Atha-Arnett is set for a change of plea hearing and sentencing on July 21, online court records show. He had previously pled not guilty to the charges against him.
Clark went missing in January 2019 and his body was found April 12 by mushroom hunters.
Atha-Arnett and Clark were friends who had a “hit/miss relationship,” according to Clark’s father, Eric Clark.
Phone data and records gathered by Greene County Sheriff’s Office investigators showed that Atha-Arnett was near where Leonid Clark’s body was found on the same night he disappeared, according to court documents.
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Atha-Arnett’s co-workers told investigators that he had multiple injuries, including scratches on his arms and chest, bruises around his neck and a cut on his hand that was “actively bleeding,” when he reported to work a few days after Leonid Clark’s disappearance, said a statement of facts.
Preliminary findings in Leonid Clark’s autopsy said he died from multiple stab wounds and had defensive injuries on his hands and arms.
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