Kalvin Clark, the man charged with the murder of his 73-year-old grandmother in Pine Grove, told police he has seizures and can’t control himself.

“I’m wondering what could have happened that I don’t recall,” he said to police Jan. 26 when interviewed at The Schuylkill County Prison.

The details are among those in the murder charges filed Feb. 10 by state police at Schuylkill Haven. Clark, 33, was interviewed by the Pine Grove Police Jan. 24 after the discovery of Sharon Zimmerman’s body at 89 N. Tulpehocken St. when someone called the Schuylkill County Communications Center saying she had fallen in the shower and had cuts. Schuylkill EMS responded and found her dead. Police were then called.

He was arguing with her because she accused his girlfriend of stealing from her. He said she fell while getting out of bed, gave her a “fishhook,” squeezed her wrist and used pressure points on her legs to get her to stop yelling, documents show. He then placed her in the chokehold and helped her up. She then fell halfway down the steps, he then helped her down the steps and left her there. She asked for a phone to call but he declined to give it to her.

Clark said he fell asleep, and when he woke up, Zimmerman was in and out of consciousness. He then carried her to the shower to clean her up, documents show.

Story changes

The story changed once he was interviewed at the prison. While some of the details remained relatively the same, Clark told police Zimmerman fell while going around a bed and injured her tailbone. He claims she walked to the top of the steps and took a couple steps and slipped onto her back and halfway down the stairs. She is “half yelling and screaming” while on the stairs, blaming Clark for her injuries.

Clark then placed pants over her mouth to quiet her, afraid he would get in trouble if someone heard the noise. He then moved her to another area and didn’t give her the phone.

“The defendant tried to ease the victim’s pain by having her take shots of alcohol and smoke resin with him,” documents show, adding he had to pour the alcohol in her mouth.

He awoke a couple hours later, noticed she defecated and attempted to clean her up.

He also washed and dried her clothes.

Clark admitted to police he believes his anger and anxiety was getting him worked up. He was concerned for her injuries, police said. However, he was worried that if police were called he would get in trouble.

Police said Zimmerman had “significant bruising and redness from the right side of her neck around to the left side,” scratches, a deep laceration on the right side of her mouth and a scratch on the left side. All are consistent with being strangled, which is what a pathologist ruled the cause of death is.

Clark is charged with first- and third-degree murder, aggravated assault, strangulation, recklessly endangering another person and simple assault.

Schuylkill County Common Pleas Judge Jacqueline Russell last week granted a petition to determine competency by the attorney for Kalvin Clark, the Pine Grove man charged in the murder of his grandmother.

Lora McDonald is Clark’s public defender.

Russell ordered Prime Care, which is the Schuylkill County Prison’s medical provider, to immediately start and conduct an incompetency application and give it to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

Unrelated charges

Clark also faces other charges not related to his grandmother’s death. State police filed charges Feb. 10 of aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment for an incident Oct. 7 involving his girlfriend at West Laurel Street address in Tremont, where they got into an argument.

The victim believed Clark had ingested methamphetamine which was making him act irrationally. He accused her of cheating on him, then later put her in a chokehold from which she was able to break free, falling face down in a mattress.

Clark then “leaned forward toward her and bit her left ear off,” documents state. Clark drove her to the hospital with the part of the ear in his pocket. The victim’s ear required surgery, is now “severely deformed” and most of it is missing, police said.

In a related incident, Clark is charged with criminal trespass, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for his Oct. 7 actions at Lehigh Valley Hospital-East Norwegian Street. Police say Clark refused to leave several times, chased hospital employees around the parking garage and resisted arrest. Those charges were waived for court.

Schuylkill County District Attorney Michael O’Pake attended the hearing where Clark participated via video conference. He said Russell also ordered all proceedings halted until the outcome of the evaluation.