Fort Hood Soldier who attempted to kill colleague sentenced to more than 17 years in prison

FORT HOOD, Texas – An Army private who purposely crashed his car in an attempt to kill a fellow Soldier pleaded guilty to attempted unpremeditated murde… FORT HOOD, Texas – An Army private who purposely crashed his car in an attempt to kill a fellow Soldier pleaded guilty to attempted unpremeditated murder during his court-martial Oct. 1 at the Lawrence Williams Judicial Center. Pvt. James D. Clarkston, 20, an Army cook assigned to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, was sentenced by the military judge to 17 years and eight months in prison and a dishonorable discharge from the Army. In addition to the attempted unpremeditated murder charge, Clarkston also pleaded guilty to wrongful use of marijuana, failure to obey a general order, and damaging non-military property.

Clarkston was reported by the victim, a fellow cook in his unit, to command leadership for being high at work. As a result, leadership removed Clarkston from duty and conducted a Probable Cause Urinalysis which revealed he had been using prohibited substances. Shortly afterwards on Dec. 15, 2025, Clarkston was in his vehicle with the victim when he confronted him about the report to leadership. Upset that he’d been reported, Clarkston began driving recklessly through Fort Hood at a high rate of speed, running through stop signs and crosswalks, ultimately