LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster man was convicted of third-degree murder, and other charges, regarding a 2014 shooting at a city bar that killed 54-year-old Barry Diffenderfer.
Lamar D. Clark also was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault, 11 counts of reckless endangerment, and a felony firearms charge.
Lancaster County Judge James Cullen will order sentence on July 8. Judge Cullen set Clark’s bail at $1 million, which wasn’t posted.
Clark, 29, faces a maximum 20-to-40-year sentence on the third-degree murder charge.
The jury deliberated about 3 hours over two days before deciding the case Tuesday morning at 11.
Upon hearing the verdict, Clark leaned back and looked up.
Testimony concluded Monday morning, the sixth day of Clark’s trial over the Nov. 7, 2014, shooting at Shenk’s Café on East Chestnut Street.
On Monday, Assistant District Attorney Mark Fetterman and defense lawyer Randall L. Miller then gave closing arguments. After that, County Judge James Cullen instructed jurors on the law to apply during deliberations, before excusing them to do so.
The panel started deliberations about 4 p.m.
Diffenderfer, a bystander who was seated at the bar, was killed by gunfire.
In opening statements and closing arguments, Fetterman told the jurors the shooting was first-degree murder.
The defense has suggested Clark fired in self-defense.
During trial, Fetterman, along with Assistant District Attorney Andrew LeFever, called numerous witnesses, including several individuals in the bar that night. None of them testified to a dispute or instance of Clark being threatened by anyone at the bar.
Lancaster city police arrested Clark near the bar, shortly after the shooting, when they came upon him nude on Chestnut Street.
Lancaster city police Detective Stanley Roache filed charges.
