Brittany Eldridge's murder case - A complete timeline of events

Brittany Eldridge was a pregnant woman from Tennessee who was found murdered in December 2011. Her mother discovered her body in her Cross Creek apartment off Western Avenue, and her unborn son, Ezekiel, was also dead inside her womb.

Brittany Eldridge was only 25 years old and eight and a half months pregnant when she was found murdered. Eldridge's boyfriend, Norman Eugene Clark, was charged with her murder, but he was later acquitted when substantial evidence against him could not be found.

The Dateline Secrets Uncovered Season 26, Episode 26, titled Deadly Circumstances explores the harrowing details of Eldridge's murder and features interviews from acquaintances, investigators on the case, and the prime suspect himself. The episode was originally aired on April 20, 2018, and is available to stream on NBC and Peacock. The full details of the case are explored here.

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Brittany Eldridge was found dead, and the prime suspect was her boyfriend, Norman Eugene Clark

Brittany Eldridge was found dead in her apartment at eight and a half months pregnant. According to the evidence, she was attacked from behind, choked, and stabbed in her neck twice with a pair of scissors. Her unborn baby, Ezekiel, had suffocated to death inside her womb. Eldridge's body was discovered by her mother, Robin Owens.

The prime suspect in Brittany Eldridge's murder was her 26-year-old boyfriend, Norman Eugene Clark. The couple met at a finance company and started dating. Eldridge was married at the time she met Clark, but she later divorced her husband to be in a relationship with him.

Although there was not enough evidence against him, Prosecutor Leslie Nassios argued that he was the only person with any motive to kill Brittany. Moreover, it also came to light that Clark was having many other romantic relationships on the side despite his girlfriend being pregnant with their son. He even proudly admitted to this during the investigation, as reported by Knox News.

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Eldridge's diary indicated that she was unhappy in her relationship

Brittany Eldridge was very unhappy with Clark, as indicated in her diary entries. Clark was largely ignoring her ever since she got pregnant, and every time she raised the issue, he reacted with anger. According to the prosecutor, Eldridge's diary showed that she was getting upset with Clark, which spelled trouble for him and a motive for murder.

They contended that Clark killed Eldridge because she was threatening to sue him for child support, which would expose his other romantic relationships. However, defense attorney Kit Rodgers said that Clark had a partial alibi and there was no forensic proof linking him to the crimes. Rodgers argued that Eldridge and her unborn son Ezekiel were murdered in a burglary attempt.

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Two mistrials later, the case was dropped

Norman Eugene Clark was arrested in 2014. He was indicted for first-degree murder. A trial commenced in August 2015, but the jury failed to reach a verdict, with 11 jurors voting not guilty and one voting guilty for Clark. There was another trial for Clark in September 2017, at which 10 jurors voted guilty, but two were unable to reach a decision. Soon after that, the prosecutors decided to quit.

In January 2018, a motion was made to drop the charges. However, this did not mean that the state could not re-file the charges and pursue the case at a later date. Eldridge's family was left disheartened because justice was not delivered.

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The full case of Brittany Eldridge is explored on NBC's Dateline Secrets Uncovered: Deadly Circumstances.