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Police say she admitted to crime so she could ‘do right by God’
Saying she wanted “to do right by God,” a hearing-impaired Cave Spring woman told police Sunday how she
killed her handicapped neighbor the previous night, said Floyd County police investigator Dan Bickers.
Erin Liedtka, 21, of 7 Perry Farm Road, Spring Haven apartment A2, said she went into apartment E1 and shot Clinton A. Wade, 29, who was deaf and suffered from cerebral palsy, as he watched television around 7:30 p.m., Bickers said. “She said she wanted to do right by God and that’s why she wanted to tell us,” Bickers said, adding she — like many of the hearing-impaired witnesses interviewed — talked to police through a translator.
Liedtka was charged with murder and possession of a firearm while trying to commit crimes and was in the Floyd County Jail with no bail set Sunday, jail officials said.
Wade was pronounced dead at the scene Saturday at 9:37 p.m., said Chief Deputy Tony Cooper. A GBI autopsy at the Summerville crime lab is scheduled for Tuesday, as that office will be closed today in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, he added.
Bickers said Liedtka’s admission to police Sunday was unexpected. “We didn’t suspect her at the time,” he said. “We were bringing people in for follow-up interviews and when she got to the Floyd County Police Department, she wanted to tell us what happened.”
Liedtka, Bickers said, described taking a .22-caliber revolver that belonged to her father — who lived in the same apartment — and entering Wade’s apartment that night.
“She said he was sitting there watching a movie and she shot him multiple times in the head and stomach,” he said. “Then she turned around and walked back to her apartment and hid the gun.”
Liedtka reportedly said Wade had been harassing her, making unwanted advances. “She basically said she had gotten tired of it,” Bickers said.
Bickers said no one they spoke to Saturday witnessed the shooting and most of the closest neighbors were deaf. “Her father said he had heard some cracks, but he thought it was firecrackers,” he said. “Approximately 80 percent of the people we talked to were hearing-impaired.”
About an hour after the shooting, one of Wade’s friends discovered his body, police said.
Cave Spring, which hosts the Georgia School for the Deaf and has many hearing-impaired residents, is typically a peaceful community. Both Floyd County police and Cave Spring residents said there hadn’t been a murder there since the early 1990s.
Bickers, for one, said he was shocked to hear someone had been shot in the small town.
“You’ve heard those calls before, but … you don’t think about it happening down there,” he said.
Wade was born unable to hear and had been living with family members in Cave Spring and Centre, Ala., for a little more than 20 years. He moved into the Spring Haven apartments close to six months ago, said his uncle, Lennie Miller of Pennsylvania.
“We helped get him the apartment so he could take on some of his own responsibilities,” Miller said. “Clint was real happy when he gained some independence.”
Cave Spring’s Albert Miller said his grandson was outgoing and a welcome fixture in the community. “Clint was a person who loved everybody,” he said. “He was the type person who could meet you one time and the next time he saw you, he remembered your name and wanted to give you a hug. You can go to anyone in this town and they will tell you he was loved.”
Spring Haven resident Gina Highfield said Wade was friendly with a childlike personality. “He loved movies and was proud of his collection,” she said. “Just the other day, he saw me bringing in groceries and wanted to show me that he had just gotten a new one. He never would have hurt anybody.”
Police say she admitted to crime so she could ‘do right by God’
Saying she wanted “to do right by God,” a hearing-impaired Cave Spring woman told police Sunday how she
killed her handicapped neighbor the previous night, said Floyd County police investigator Dan Bickers.
Erin Liedtka, 21, of 7 Perry Farm Road, Spring Haven apartment A2, said she went into apartment E1 and shot Clinton A. Wade, 29, who was deaf and suffered from cerebral palsy, as he watched television around 7:30 p.m., Bickers said. “She said she wanted to do right by God and that’s why she wanted to tell us,” Bickers said, adding she — like many of the hearing-impaired witnesses interviewed — talked to police through a translator.
Liedtka was charged with murder and possession of a firearm while trying to commit crimes and was in the Floyd County Jail with no bail set Sunday, jail officials said.
Wade was pronounced dead at the scene Saturday at 9:37 p.m., said Chief Deputy Tony Cooper. A GBI autopsy at the Summerville crime lab is scheduled for Tuesday, as that office will be closed today in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, he added.
Bickers said Liedtka’s admission to police Sunday was unexpected. “We didn’t suspect her at the time,” he said. “We were bringing people in for follow-up interviews and when she got to the Floyd County Police Department, she wanted to tell us what happened.”
Liedtka, Bickers said, described taking a .22-caliber revolver that belonged to her father — who lived in the same apartment — and entering Wade’s apartment that night.
“She said he was sitting there watching a movie and she shot him multiple times in the head and stomach,” he said. “Then she turned around and walked back to her apartment and hid the gun.”
Liedtka reportedly said Wade had been harassing her, making unwanted advances. “She basically said she had gotten tired of it,” Bickers said.
Bickers said no one they spoke to Saturday witnessed the shooting and most of the closest neighbors were deaf. “Her father said he had heard some cracks, but he thought it was firecrackers,” he said. “Approximately 80 percent of the people we talked to were hearing-impaired.”
About an hour after the shooting, one of Wade’s friends discovered his body, police said.
Cave Spring, which hosts the Georgia School for the Deaf and has many hearing-impaired residents, is typically a peaceful community. Both Floyd County police and Cave Spring residents said there hadn’t been a murder there since the early 1990s.
Bickers, for one, said he was shocked to hear someone had been shot in the small town.
“You’ve heard those calls before, but … you don’t think about it happening down there,” he said.
Wade was born unable to hear and had been living with family members in Cave Spring and Centre, Ala., for a little more than 20 years. He moved into the Spring Haven apartments close to six months ago, said his uncle, Lennie Miller of Pennsylvania.
“We helped get him the apartment so he could take on some of his own responsibilities,” Miller said. “Clint was real happy when he gained some independence.”
Cave Spring’s Albert Miller said his grandson was outgoing and a welcome fixture in the community. “Clint was a person who loved everybody,” he said. “He was the type person who could meet you one time and the next time he saw you, he remembered your name and wanted to give you a hug. You can go to anyone in this town and they will tell you he was loved.”
Spring Haven resident Gina Highfield said Wade was friendly with a childlike personality. “He loved movies and was proud of his collection,” she said. “Just the other day, he saw me bringing in groceries and wanted to show me that he had just gotten a new one. He never would have hurt anybody.”