UPDATE Wednesday @ 12:45 pm
Charleston, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Judge James Stucky sentenced Desmond Clark to a 2 year probation on March 4th after Clark pleaded guilty to drug, gun and domestic battery charges.

Here's an excerpt from Clark's probation order:

"It appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that the character of the defendant and circumstances of the case indicate that he is not likely again to commit crime and that the public good does not require that he be fined or imprisoned, the Court of its own motion doth suspend the imposition of sentence and doth release the defendant on probation."

Stucky declined an interview with WSAZ to discuss the probation order because of ethics concerns.

UPDATE Wednesday @ 11:45 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Charleston Mayor Danny Jones and Police Chief Brent Webster put an end to rumors that Desmond Clark served little jail time for his previous charges because he was an informant of the department.

During a news conference Wednesday morning at City Hall, Webster said Clark wouldn't have been used as an informant because of his criminal record that includes domestic battery.

Clark is charged with murdering his child's mother, Nalisha Gravely, last Saturday inside of a Taco Bell on Charleston's west side.

Nalisha Gravely was shot and killed inside of a Taco Bell on Charleston’s west side last Saturday, and police say the father of Gravely's child, Desmond Clark, is the killer.

Gravely’s family said domestic violence laws were not on Nalisha's side.

Family members say Gravely feared Desmond Clark.

In her last few moments alive, Taco Bell surveillance video shows her running for her life.

Throughout Gravely and Clark’s relationship, police arrested him several times for domestic violence.

Gravely didn't always pursue these accusations any further.

Family members say that was out of fear, but they say prosecutors should have worked around that.

Kanawha County prosecutor Steve Revercomb wouldn't comment on any of the previous cases against Clark because they might be used in the murder case; however, he says his heart goes out to the gravely family.

The two men running to take his job say more needs to be done to help victims of domestic violence stand up to their abusers in court.

“The key is to make criminals fear the consequences of their actions and educating these victims helps them overcome the fear of testifying against these criminals,” Mark Plants, republican candidate for county prosecutor, said.

“You don't put people in jail because they were charged with crimes, necessarily. We put them in jail because they are convicted of crimes. If you don't have the cooperation of various witnesses and many times you don't, it becomes hard to get convictions,” Bill Murray, democratic candidate for county prosecutor, said.

Before the murder, Clark was on probation for several charges including domestic battery against Gravely.

When he was put on probation, a judge said Clark would not put the public at risk because it wasn't likely he would commit a crime.

That was just four months ago.

UPDATE Tuesday @ 1:23 pm
Kanawha County Prosecutor Steve Revercomb says he will not go on camera, but issued a statement Tuesday:

"The rules of ethics very narrowly prescribe what the prosecutor can say about a pending case. Discussing any of the previous allegations would be tantamount to commenting on a pending case."

"My heart goes out to the Gravely family. It’s tragic."

Over the years, Clark has faced numerous charges for domestic battery, kidnapping, malicious wounding, burglary, carrying a concealed weapon and the list goes on.

“It's frustrating for every police department throughout the country to go and deal with the same people time and time again,” said Detective Bobby Eggleton with the Charleston Police Department.

On some of those charges, Clark and his alleged victim never had their day in court. That’s because several charges were dropped due to a variety of reasons: from delays in the prosecuting attorney's office to a magistrate dismissing a carrying concealed weapon charge because the officer was a no show.

In the end, a violent relationship with all the tell tale signs ends with death.

Clark was put on probation in March of this year for domestic battery, drug and gun charges. In the probation order, Judge James Stucky wrote that Clark was not likely to commit crimes again, and that the public good did not require that he be fined or imprisoned

WSAZ asked Judge Stucky for a comment Monday and he says he wasn't allowed to comment because of ethical reasons.

WSAZ also put a call into the Kanawha County Prosecutor's Office Monday to ask why they didn't send some of those past battery charges against Clark to the grand jury. No one returned our calls.

Desmond Clark was arrested at about 12:40am at a house on Woodland Drive in Charleston. Police tell us Clark was hiding in a closet in the basement of the house.

Detectives say he shot and killed Nalisha Gravely while she hid in a utility closet at the Taco Bell on Patrick Street on Charleston's west side. She tried to get away from him after he abducted her, according to police.

"I love my son," said Clark when asked if he wanted to say anything to Nalisha's family. "We're going to catch who did it."

Clark denied being the triggerman -- or having any involvement in the shooting Saturday.

Question: "So, you had nothing to do with her today?"
Clark: "Nope. I love her."

Sergeant Aaron James with the Charleston Police Department credits a tip from the public in catching a suspect in less than 12 hours after the crime happened.

"This is the kind of help we need," said James. "We need people to call in and tell us where these people are. They are bad people, and good people are stepping up here and calling in."

James says the tip was anonymous.

"A dangerous person is off the street because somebody stepped up and did the right thing," said James.

Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest information.

At about 3:05pm, James says Gravely escaped from the car and ran into the Taco Bell on Patrick Street, where she asked an employee to use the phone. The employee gave her his cell phone and she jumped the counter and ran into the back of the restaurant and hid in a utility room.

James says Clark then pulled up outside and stood in line for a few minutes before he jumped the counter and found Gravely in the closet, and then shot her at least five times. Clark then ran out of the restaurant and took off in his car.

Later, James says officers recived information that Clark parked his SUV behind a house on 7th Avenue -- near Florida Street. Police surrounded the house and called in the SWAT, but did not find Clark in any of the nearby houses.

James tells WSAZ that Clark and Gravely knew each other -- and had a history of domestic violence.

Clark is facing first degree murder charges when he's captured. Police are asking anyone with information about his whereabouts to call 911. Police are considering him armed and dangerous.

Clark is 22 years old, and police say he is dangerous and possibly armed.

Officers say Clark abducted Naleisha Gravely Saturday afternoon from North Charleston.

Police say Clark shot Gravely while they were in the car together.

She managed to get out of the car on Patrick Street near a Taco Bell. She ran into the restaurant asking for help and then hid in a closet, according to police.

She was pronounced dead on the scene.

Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for more updates.

At about 2pm Saturday, police responded to reports of a shooting at 5th Avenue and 33rd Street in North Charleston, but they didn't immediately find a victim. About an hour later police, were called to the Taco Bell on Patrick Street where they say a woman was shot inside the restaurant.

Police tell us the two calls are closely related but they are not sure if she is the only victim.

There were bullet casings and a magazine found in the street at the scene of the shooting in North Charleston.

We still don't know the woman's name or condition. Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for updates.