in
Society & Social Issues
—
The Atomic Wedgie Manslaughter: How a Schoolyard Prank Led to a 30-Year Prison Sentence
In 2013, a family dispute in Oklahoma escalated tragically. Brad Lee Davis killed his stepfather, Denver St. Clair, by pulling his underwear over his head, causing asphyxiation. Davis pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 30 years in a bizarre case that turned a prank into a tragedy.
The term "atomic wedgie" typically conjures images of schoolyard bullying or cartoonish antics. It's a prank, albeit a painful one, where a victim's underwear is forcefully pulled up and stretched over their head. But in a quiet Oklahoma home in the winter of 2013, this childish act became the central element in a brutal killing, leaving one man dead and another sentenced to decades in prison.
A Family Fight Turns Fatal
On the night of December 21, 2013, Brad Lee Davis, then 33, got into a heated argument with his 58-year-old stepfather, Denver St. Clair. The two were drinking beer at St. Clair's home in McLoud, Oklahoma, when St. Clair allegedly began bad-mouthing his wife, Tressia, who was also Davis's mother. The verbal confrontation quickly escalated into a physical fight. Davis claimed he acted in self-defense, but the altercation ended with him knocking St. Clair unconscious.
The Bizarre Act of Violence
What happened next propelled the case from a tragic domestic dispute into a national headline. Instead of seeking help, Davis pulled St. Clair's underwear up from his back, stretching the elastic waistband over his head and around his neck. When first responders arrived, they found St. Clair on the floor with the waistband of his blue underwear wrapped tightly around his throat. The medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide, citing the cause as asphyxiation and blunt force trauma to the head.
I'd never seen this before, but when we looked at our victim, the waistband of his underwear was around his neck.- Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth
Justice and a 30-Year Sentence
Initially, Brad Davis was charged with first-degree murder. Investigators reported that Davis tried to clean up the scene to make it appear as though St. Clair had simply fallen. However, he eventually confessed to the fight and the subsequent "atomic wedgie." In a plea deal, Davis pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter. During his sentencing, he offered a brief apology, stating, "I'd like to say I'm really sorry." The judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison.
A Morbid Legacy
The case serves as a shocking reminder of how quickly violence can escalate with bizarre and fatal consequences. The phrase "atomic wedgie killing" became a staple of internet trivia and "Today I Learned" forums, often overshadowing the grim reality of a man's death and a family destroyed. It stands as a peculiar and tragic footnote in the annals of American true crime, demonstrating that even the most juvenile of actions can have the most adult of consequences.