On February 3, 1985, James Vernon Allridge and his older brother, Ronald Allridge, left their apartment to rob a convenience store in East Fort Worth. Armed with his chrome Raven .25 caliber pistol, James Allridge and his brother drove to the Circle K store on Sycamore School Road because James Allridge used to be an employee of the store and knew where the combination to the safe was kept. Ronald dropped his younger brother off at the store and drove around the corner to wait for him.
Store clerk Brian Clendennen had locked the doors to the convenience store since it was closed for the night. Allridge approached the front door and requested change to make a telephone call. Because Clendennen had worked with Allridge at the store, he made change for Allridge, who left the store after pretending to use the telephone. After getting back to the car around the corner from the store, Ronald accused his younger brother of “chickening out.” James Allridge decided to go back to the store. Clendennen again opened the doors for Allridge. When he did, Allridge pointed his pistol at the attendant and forced his way into the store.
Once inside, Allridge took Clendennen to the storeroom, tied his hands behind his back, and proceeded to empty the cash register and safe. After some of the change from the register hit the floor, Allridge heard movement from the back room. He went back to check on the noise, and after finding that Clendennen had moved, Allridge forced him to his knees and shot him twice in the back of the head, execution style.
Allridge returned to the car but then decided to be sure that Clendennen was dead and returned to the store. However, a woman was in the store parking lot when Allridge arrived, so he fled the scene. The woman, who was Clendennen’s mother, entered the store and discovered the loose change on the floor. She immediately went to the nearby Whataburger restaurant to call for help. The police were dispatched to the store where officers found Brian Clendennen in the back storeroom, barely breathing, but still alive. Clendennen was transported to the hospital, but died the next day.
Too bad you never gave Brian Clendennen that option.
This reminds me a lot of plan Mumia and his brother used to murder Officer Faulkner except theirs was a well set death trap. No one was going to "chicken out" that night. I can't wait until he's roasting on a spit next to Allridge.
What's even more enraging is that on top of suffering the loss of her husband Mrs. Faulkner lives in constant fear. She has received death threats herself for speaking the truth about what happened and calling for Mumia's execution. I'm not sure how to go about it but I think she is worthy of support from FR.