Midland County Jury Convicts Man of Capital Murder in 2001 Oil Lease Shooting

A Midland County jury convicted Clinton Lee Young III of capital murder for the 2001 shooting death of Samuel Petrey. Young, 42, was found guilty of shooting Petrey in the head twice at an oil lease site in Midland County after carjacking him at gunpoint in Eastland, Texas.

The crime spree began on November 23, 2001, when Young stole a .22 Colt Huntsman pistol during a burglary of a sporting goods store in East Texas. Young and his co-defendant, David Page, Jr., were seen leaving the Longview area on November 25 in a white Grand Prix sedan with the gun. They abandoned the car on their way to Midland, where Young intended to visit his then-girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Petrey had returned to Eastland with his wife, Lana, after the Thanksgiving holiday. On November 26, while shopping at Brookshire’s supermarket, Petrey was robbed at gunpoint by Young and Page, who then kidnapped him and forced him to drive them to Midland in his white Chevrolet pickup truck.

Surveillance footage from the early hours of November 26 shows the trio at a hospital in Odessa around 4:30 a.m. and later at a Walmart in northwest Midland at 7:15 a.m. While at Walmart, Young attempted to buy a firearm, using Petrey as a “straw purchaser,” but was denied. Afterward, they drove Petrey to an oil lease site south of Midland, where Young shot and killed him. Cell phone records helped law enforcement determine that Petrey was murdered between 8:05 and 8:50 a.m.

Young then continued his journey to meet his girlfriend, driving Petrey’s stolen truck. Once there, she noticed the truck was stolen, and Young was still in possession of the Colt Huntsman pistol. Authorities were contacted, and a high-speed chase ensued when Midland County deputies and police attempted to stop Young. The pursuit ended when law enforcement disabled his vehicle. Young was arrested with the pistol in his possession, and ballistics confirmed that the two shell casings found by Petrey’s body had been fired from that weapon.

Young had previously been convicted in 2003, but the conviction was vacated on appeal. Under current law, he will serve a minimum of 40 years before becoming eligible for parole. He has already served approximately 20 years in prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney Generals Marie Primm, Joshua Somers, and Matthew Ottoway, with Sgt. Investigator David Fugitt serving as the lead investigator.