San Diego Criminal Justice Memorial
Honorees
A memorial directory honoring deceased judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys who advanced criminal justice in San Diego County.
Hon. George Woodman Clarke
1951-2012
Hon. George “Woody” Clarke was born in San Diego on May 10, 1951. He grew up in the suburbs east of San Diego and was graduated from Grossmont High School in La Mesa. He received a bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego in 1977. He initially worked in the courts as a research attorney and then decided to join the DA’s Office in 1982. He stayed there for 22 years.
Woody, as he was known, was co-prosecutor in the trial involving the murder of Danielle Van Dam. The defendant was convicted and sent to death row. Woody also helped prosecute David Allen Lucas who was convicted of killing three people. He handled many other serious cases in San Diego. He was a pioneer in the forensic use of DNA and was called upon nationally by other prosecutors to assist in cases. In the mid-1990s, he was asked to help in Los Angeles in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. In addition to many other awards, he was named the 2003 Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year by the California District Attorneys Association and 2003 Prosecutor of the Year by the San Diego District Attorneys Association.
“He championed the use of DNA science in the criminal justice system for a number of years,” said Superior Court Judge Christopher Plourd, a former defense attorney. “He was a major force behind getting it accepted and used-both for protecting people who were innocent, and convicting people who were guilty.”
In 2008 he compiled his career of courtroom experiences into the book, “Justice and Science: Trials and Triumphs of DNA Evidence.” He was appointed to the U.S. Department of Justice Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. In 2002, he was named to the U.S. Attorney General Initiative on DNA Laboratory Backlogs. He was also instrumental in helping propose several legislative improvements to California criminal law. In the San Diego DA’s Office, he helped establish an in-house “innocence project” that offered DNA testing to convicted defendants in certain cases.
In 2003, George Clarke was appointed San Diego Superior Court judge. He served on the bench until his death on November 13, 2012. Robert Trentacosta, presiding judge of the San Diego Superior Court, stated, “Our court was so truly blessed to have him as a colleague. He was talented and yet so humble. He was the quintessential gentleman.”
Woody Clarke was a man of compassion, faith, humor, and intellect. He was highly regarded by all.