An Arizona man is being remembered by his family after his death on Christmas Eve. The man was acting as a good Samaritan when strangers showed up at his door asking for help. Despite the late hour, he was willing to do a good deed. And that good deed led to him losing his life.
Now, his family has nothing left but the memories of the “gentle giant” they loved. Days after Christmas, three people were arrested in connection with the killing. Of course, it won’t bring the man back, but his family says it’s something.
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The family is speaking out about who the man really was.
Christina Clifford, the widow of Paul Clifford, spoke with KVOA about her husband’s death, and how the family is grappling with the unexpected loss.
“I feel so empty. We planned to grow old together, live into our 90s, and die of old age,” she said.
The couple’s daughter, Sabrina Vining, shared the ways she and her mother are trying to explain the loss to her 3-year-old son William. “Every night when he’s going to sleep she [Christina] gives him two kisses, one from her and one from ‘Popsy.’ And then we tell him that Popsy’s in our heart, and then he looks at us and goes ‘Popsy’s in your heart, Popsy’s in my heart,'” she explained.
The Cliffords live in a rural area, so they weren't expecting anyone at their front door.
On the night of December 23, there was a knock at the Cliffords’ door. According to Christina, a flashlight shone through the window before the doorbell rang. Paul Clifford answered the door, and Christina could hear a man’s voice.
“And he sounded nothing but sincere, ‘Please, I broke down, I can’t get any help. I just need a jump will you please help me,'” she said. Her husband didn’t hesitate to help, despite her asking him not to. “I said, ‘No don’t go, we can call somebody.’ He said ‘No, nobody is coming to help them. I need to help them,’ and went out the door.”
That was the last time she saw the man she loved alive.
Paul Clifford never made it home.
When it was taking too long for her husband to return home, Christina Clifford checked the GPS on the truck he was driving. He was in an area he wouldn’t normally go to, prompting her to call the police. Two hours later, Pima County deputies finally responded to her call. Due to their remote location, it takes time for police to get to their area.
“It’s very far. It’s very remote and to get out there, it takes a specific vehicle. I think you can get there in a regular two-wheel-drive vehicle, but it’s going to be very slow-going,” Deputy Adam Schoonover told FOX 10 Phoenix.
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Paul Clifford was found dead next to another stolen vehicle.
“While en route to the incident location, deputies discovered information which led them to believe the incident was potentially related to a stolen vehicle,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement shared by FOX 10.
Police found Paul Clifford’s body next to a smoldering car. But it wasn’t the same car he had been driving. The police have yet to provide a cause or manner of death, according to NBC News.
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with Paul Clifford's death.
NBC News reported that police received information about the location of three possible suspects on December 30. The sheriff’s department shared that the suspects barricaded themselves in a house. Eventually, they called 911 to negotiate a surrender. They were then taken into police custody.
The suspects were identified by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department as 40-year-old Jack Upchurch, 19-year-old Elmer Smith, and 16-year-old Wendy Scott. All three are charged with 1st-degree murder as well as assault, kidnapping, and arson-related charges.
