A Steuben County man will remain in prison for the rest of his life after an Appellate court upheld his conviction on first-degree murder. 41-year-old Thomas S. Clayton was convicted in 2015 for paying a man to kill his wife, Kelley Stage Clayton. She was found bludgeoned inside her Town of Caton home. Prosecutors said Mr. Clayton paid 48-year-old Michael Beard to commit the murder.
The Appellate court did however, dismiss a second-degree murder charge against Clayton. He is serving his sentence at Sing Sing correctional. Beard is also serving a life sentence and is housed at Auburn correctional. You can read the six-page decision HERE.
