Published: January 29, 2008 08:18 am      

Jury expected to hear from man who claims he killed Holly Notestine

BEDFORD — From all Indications, the jury in the capital murder trial of Joseph William Clark will hear this week from a man who claims he killed Holly Christine Notestine.

The prosecution lost a battle in court Monday when Judge Daniel Howsare denied a request that it not be required to provide the defense with all of the information it has gathered on David Lucas.

Lucas, a native of Hesston, Huntingdon County, is an inmate at the federal prison in Lewisburg serving 34 years for the armed bank robbery of Keystone Financial Bank in Breezewood in 2000, the same year Notestine was kidnapped from her Monroe Township home and murdered.

He reportedly made off with more than $17,000 in the heist at the bank located off Route 126 in East Providence Township.

That Tribune-Democrat reported in April 2002 that he also was linked to armed bank robberies in Fulton County, Pottstown and Philadelphia.

He was caught in Wildwood, N.J. on July 12, 2000.

Lucas’ name first surfaced during opening statements last week when defense attorney Thomas Crawford said Lucas contacted him more than two years ago and provided a written statement that he was responsible for the death of Notestine, 25 and the mother of two young children.

District Attorney William Higgins said last week and repeated Monday his beliefs that Lucas had no involvement in the Notestine case and his jail house confession is a red herring to confuse the jury hearing the allegations against Clark.

Clark, 49, of Everett maintains that while he knew Ronald Grubb, Notestine’s partner and the father of her children, he had nothing to do with the woman’s death.

Victoria Clark, married to the defendant’s brother, testified Saturday that he told her during the May 1, 2000, search of the farm where he lives, that he didn’t even know the victim’s first name.

Howsare, late Monday denied Higgins petition for a “protective order,” which would have allowed him to withhold from the defense anything police and the prosecution have gathered in the hopes of impeaching Lucas.

“We have significant information that he was not involved,” Higgins said.

In a recent interview with police, Lucas allegedly "confessed" to murdering Notestine but would not answer any more of their questions.

Higgins maintains any information Lucas has about the case was learned from some of the more than 1,300 media accounts of the story beginning with Notestine’s April 30, 2000, kidnapping.

Lucas is believed to be about 33.