Michael Bay has pulled an unexpected move by releasing his first true crime documentary, Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior – with its premiere just around the corner, here’s a breakdown of where Hadden Clark is now.
Yes, it’s the Michael Bay you’re thinking of. Better known for producing big-budget, high-grossing blockbusters such as Bad Boys, a string of live-action Transformers movies, Armageddon, and Pearl Harbor. Oh, and he’s taking on the upcoming Skibidi Toilet movie, for better or worse.
But he’s also ventured into the horror realm, helming the 2003 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, The Amityville Horror, and the 2010 A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot.
However, Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior is his first time in the true crime realm, and it’s a worthy contribution to the genre. Here’s everything you need to know about the new documentary and the man at the center of it. Warning: some may find this content distressing.
Hadden Clark is currently behind bars
Hadden Clark, a convicted serial killer and cannibal, is currently serving two consecutive 30-year prison sentences at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, Maryland.
After finding overwhelming evidence linking him to the murder of 23-year-old Laura Houghteling in 1992, Clark – a veteran and diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic – entered a plea deal, agreeing to the charge of second-degree murder in exchange for leading the authorities to her body.
Prior to this, Clark had also been named a suspect in the 1986 disappearance of 6-year-old Michele Lee Dorr, although he seemingly had an alibi. However, after new evidence came to light and Clark bragged to his cellmates about the murder, he eventually confessed to killing the young girl and drinking her blood, resulting in another murder conviction.
It’s unclear whether Clark, now 72 years old, will ever be up for parole. But every law enforcement officer in Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior warns that if he was ever let out, he would go on to kill again, believing he’s a danger to society.
How many people did he murder?
Although Clark was convicted of two murders, it’s believed he killed many more, according to family members, detectives, and Clark himself.
You see, when he went to prison for killing Houghteling, he was locked up with Jack Truitt, who was convicted of a shooting but later released. Clark believed Truitt was Jesus Christ and began confessing a series of heinous slayings he’d committed.
Truitt describes in the new docu-series how Clark would draw disturbing pictures of his alleged victims, leaving clues to the crimes in his artwork. He found his confessions so disturbing he told Clark to start writing everything down so he wouldn’t have to listen anymore.
Truitt went on to work with Clark and the police to try and recover some of the remains, and while this led to the discovery of Michele Dorr’s body, no others were found. Detectives believe Clark was manipulating them and purposely wasting their time.
However, in 2000, he did lead police to an area on his grandparents’ old property, where they uncovered a plastic bucket filled with more than 200 pieces of jewelry, which Clark claimed were trophies from his victims. Among the many items was Houghteling’s high school class ring.
But there have also been false confessions, including the formerly unidentified woman known as the “Lady of the Dunes,” who was killed on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 1974. In 2022, the FBI finally identified the victim as Ruth Marie Terry, while her husband, Guy Muldavin, was named the killer the following year.
Nonetheless, authorities suspect that Clark has committed additional murders for several reasons, including the fact that his first known killing was remarkably sophisticated for a first-time killer.
Also, his extensive travel while serving in the US Navy provided ample opportunity for him to strike elsewhere. But since there’s never been enough to pin him down, he’s never faced any other convictions.
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Clark’s brother was also a cannibal killer
Murder runs in the family, as Hadden’s older brother, Bradfield Clark, has been in prison since 1985 for murdering and cannibalizing his married coworker, Trish Mak.
In Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior, detectives note how rare it is for two brothers to be involved in completely unrelated homicides at around the same time, at other ends of the country.
Their youngest brother, Geoff Clark, didn’t follow in the footsteps of his siblings. He appears in the docu-series, describing the heartache he’s experienced as a result of his brothers’ evil actions.
Bradfield, now 74 years old, committed the crime in 1984 in a Californian town just south of San Francisco. After inviting Mak over for dinner, he strangled her to death, dismembered her body, cooked some of her body parts on a barbecue grill, and ate them.
In 1985, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and mutilating human remains and was sentenced to 18 years to life.
“Jesus’s” heroic act led to unthinkable outcome
Truitt, or “Jesus” to his cellmate, was able to use his rapport with Clark to help recover the body of Michele Dorr. And this, in turn, led to him now being a free man.
This is despite the fact that he never believed he’d be let out of prison, having been sentenced to life behind bars for the random shooting of a saddle shop customer in 1974. Truitt claims he was never responsible, believing the jury was biased as he had dated one of the juror’s daughters.
Following his collaboration with the police, detectives petitioned to have his sentence reduced. This was eventually granted, and he is now living his life outside of prison. It also provides valuable insight into Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior.
How to watch Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior
Bay’s docu-series premieres on September 2 at 9pm ET on ID. The five-part series will also be available for streaming on Max and will air across three nights, finalizing on September 4.
Across each episode, Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior will examine the dysfunctions within the Clark family, Hadden’s crimes and confessions, and detectives’ hunt for the truth.
This is anchored by exclusive access to Clark himself through private, recorded conversations conducted by Bay, offering a “chilling portrait of one of the most terrifying serial killers in recent decades.”
“Born Evil is my first venture into the documentary world, and it revolves around a serial killing family you have never heard of,” said Bay in a statement.
“The focus of this five-hour series is on the youngest son, Hadden Clark, whom I spent countless hours personally speaking to in prison so that I could get into the mind and psychology of a person who the FBI refers to as ‘a person of interest’ in over 20 states. Born Evil could potentially open the door to solving many cold case murders.”
For more documentary news, learn about the Laci Peterson case, what you need to know about the Menendez brothers ahead of Monster Season 2, and what happened to Worst Ex Ever’s Mei and Rosa.