Murder Charge Sought Against Boyfriend In Death Of Kiera Bergman

PHOENIX, AZ — Phoenix police have submitted a probable cause statement and are seeking a first-degree murder charge against Jon-Christopher Clark, 23, in the death of 19-year-old Kiera Bergman, The Arizona Republic reports.

Bergman's body was found Sept. 3 after she disappeared under suspicious circumstances and hadn't been seen since Aug. 4. When police announced that Bergman's body was found, they said the case was now an active homicide investigation.

Clark, Bergman's boyfriend, was arrested in August on unrelated charges. Police said Clark was contacted in relation to Bergman's disappearance when a search warrant on his car led police to numerous items "with personal identifying information of others" as well as "items of forgery." He was arrested on 22 counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of forgery. According to the Republic, Clark remains in custody.

Clark told the Republic he was the last person to see Bergman on the day she went missing. In addition to the murder charge, police said Clark is also facing charges of improper removal of a body and evidence tampering, per the Republic.

According to the Republic, Bergman moved out of her family's home in San Diego County to live in Phoenix with Clark. The two apparently broke up and Bergman moved out but they soon reconciled, according to the Republic.

Chris Bragg, Bergman's father, described her relationship with Clark as "on again, off again," according to the Republic.

Read more via The Arizona Republic.

Photo via Marciopa County Jail