WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – A longtime friend of the man accused of shooting and killing a Detroit mother who was last seen in 2020 testified to what he witnessed the days following the woman’s disappearance.
Jessica Bedford was reported missing by her mother on May 30, 2020. Her body has not yet been found.
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Keyvonte Deshawn Clark, 31, is accused of shooting and killing Bedford at his home in the 12000 block of Cloverlawn Street. It’s alleged that he disposed her body at another location.
Clark was arrested on April 16, 2025. He faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, mutilation of a dead body, felon in possession of a firearm and felony firearm.
Clark’s preliminary hearing was held on Aug. 12, 2025. In the hearing, a judge will determine if there is enough evidence presented by the prosecutor’s office to move the case to trial.
The judge in the hearing ordered that the media not release the names of the witnesses testifying in the preliminary hearing, as well as not show their faces and alter their voices, if necessary.
The first witness who took the stand was a longtime friend of Clark. He said he also knew Bedford and referred to her as “Jess.”
‘I shot the b****’
The witness recalled Clark knocking on his door in 2020 in the middle of the night, where Clark reportedly told the witness, “I f***** up” and “I shot the b****.”
The witness testified that Clark appeared erratic and frustrated before leaving his home that night. The witness said he didn’t believe Clark at first.
The witness said that following his encounter with Clark, he met with him and a mutual friend. They eventually went to Clark’s house.
There, the mutual friend asked the witness if he could have some help in the basement.
The witness testified that he heard the mutual friend discuss moving a body while walking down to the basement.
The witness then told Clark and the mutual friend he wanted no part in the situation and asked Clark to take him back home.
Plastic in basement
There was some discourse in the court on whether the next statement was true.
The prosecutor asked the witness if he saw anything in the basement. In the hearing on Aug. 12, 2025, he said he did not see anything.
However, the prosecutor read an interview the witness had with police during the investigation, where the witness then stated that he saw plastic in the basement.
The witness was firm in the hearing on Tuesday that he did not see plastic in the basement.
Recalling the car ride back to his home, he remembered cussing Clark out about asking him to be involved with moving a body. The witness said Clark responded, “My bad.”
The witness then asked Clark not to contact him anymore.
He testified that Clark never asked him to do anything, stating that the mutual friend asked him for help.
The defense asked this witness if he was under the influence during these situations, and the witness said “a little.”
The witness also confirmed with the defense that he was at Clark’s house for drugs.
The preliminary hearing for Clark continues on Tuesday.