KOKOMO— A Kokomo man acquitted of murdering Karena McClerkin is facing new criminal charges.
On May 8, a jury found Flint Farmer not guilty of murder and voluntary manslaughter in the McClerkin case.
The same day, Howard County prosecutors filed six Obstruction of Justice charges against Farmer, court records show.
Karena McClerkin was just 18 years old when she was reported missing in October 2016.
In 2022, human remains found in a rural area of Miami County were confirmed through DNA analysis to belong to McClerkin.
During the jury trial, a witness testified Flint Farmer brought McClerkin’s body into her apartment and instructed her not to call 911.
The witness testified at trial she was afraid of Farmer and did as instructed by not calling 911, court documents read.
She testified that Farmer told her ‘you’re in it now,’ read court documents.
The witness testified she helped Farmer wrap McClerkin’s body in trash bags and rolled her in a carpet to avoid detection.
Another witness also testified at Farmer’s request, he transported the body of McClerkin to a shallow grave in Miami County, court documents alleged.
The male witness testified he believed he would be compensated by Farmer for removing the body and not speaking about it.
Following Farmer’s arrest in 2022, both witnesses were called to testify, but provided false statements at the request of Farmer, newly filed court documents allege.
Prosecutors allege Farmer also instructed another key witness not to speak to investigators.
Prosecutors also allege that during jury trial proceedings, Farmer told a family member information even after the separation of witness’s motion was made.
Typically, the purpose of a separation of witnesses order is to prevent the testimony of one witness from influencing that of another.
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WRTV contacted Flint Farmer’s defense attorney via phone and email and we are still waiting to hear back.
A hearing is scheduled for June 3.
McClerkin’s grandmother, Gerry McClerkin, is grateful for the new charges.
“I hope they get him behind bars,” said Gerry. “He deserves to be behind bars.”
Community advocate, Breana Collins, also issued the following statement to WRTV:
“We are aware of the new obstruction charges filed against Flint Vincent Farmer, and while it’s a step in the right direction, we want to be clear, this is not justice. Karena McClerkin was an 18-year-old Black girl whose disappearance and death were not taken seriously for years. It took far too long for charges to even be filed, and the result left an entire community heartbroken.
We believe others were involved in covering up what happened to Karena, and they too should be held accountable. This is about more than one man, it’s about a system that failed her from the beginning.
Our petition, which has gathered over 1,000 signatures in under 24 hours, calls for a federal civil rights investigation into how this case was handled from start to finish. We’re not asking for what can’t be changed, we’re demanding that what still can be done, gets done. Karena’s life mattered. Her story matters. And we will not stop speaking her name until every piece of truth comes to light.”
