McClellan, Amerson sentenced in separate murder cases

Published 3:31 pm Wednesday, June 28, 2023

An Arkadelphia man has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for the January 27, 2021 shooting death of his wife.

Thomas McClellan was sentenced on Wednesday by Circuit Judge Greg Nicholas for the murder of Tammy McClellan.

According to a press release from District Attorney Champ Crocker’s office, he and his assistant district attorneys asked for the maximum sentence due to McClellan’s “lack of remorse in this case.”

Also on Wednesday, Brett Amerson was sentenced to 131 years in prison by Circuit Judge Martha Williams for murder, DUI, and other charges for the 2018 murder of Bradley Patterson. According to the DA’s office, Amerson was driving a box truck while intoxicated at three times the legal limit when he crashed into Patterson who was operating a motorcycle with the right of way. Amerson had 11 previous DUI arrest.

Crocker and assistant district attorneys asked for the maximum sentence due to Amerson’s “egregious crime and lengthy criminal history” according to a press release from the DA’s office.

Both McClellan and Amerson were convicted in April.

The press releases stated that members of the victim’s families were present during sentencing and delivered impact statements.