‘CounterClock’: Clifton Spencer GoFundMe Reaches $70K in Donations

A GoFundMe page for Clifton Spencer, the North Carolina man who was convicted and later released in connection to the 1990 murder of Stacey Stanton, has now surpassed $70,000. Spencer received a life sentence after accepting a plea deal to plead no contest to second degree murder, but was released in 2007 after the Innocence Project Stepped in. His conviction and the Stanton case were the focus of Season 2 of Audiochuck’s CounterClock podcast, in which host and investigative journalist Delia D’Ambra embarked to discover if “a man was wrongfully convicted for the crime and if the real killer is still out there.”

The GoFundMe, titled “Wrongfully convicted,” was created by one of Spencer’s friend, whom he met following his release from prison. Following his release, Spencer now works as an interstate truck driver, which is how he and the page’s creator met. Currently sitting at approximately $73,500, the page is raising money “because if anybody deserves a helping hand in achieving their goals it is Cliff.” The funds will go towards replacing Spencer’s truck, which “now has over a half a million miles on it and is a basic style Freightliner Cascadia that needs to be replaced.”

“I started this gofundme because if anybody deserves a helping hand in achieving their goals it is Cliff,” the page reads. “There is no soul more worthy than him. I am asking everyone that can hear me to please listen to his story, learn about this man, and join me in sending him a very special gift. Cliff spends almost all of his time on the highway driving freight from one place to the next in a corporately owned truck. He is not paid the most or the least in the industry but he trudges along year after year…. He has always hoped to buy himself a Kenworth T680 with a studio sleeper and a 13 speed transmission.”

Many of those who have donated to the cause commented that they learned of Spencer’s case through CounterClock, which the page credited for having “done a fantastic job in researching and organizing the facts and evidence in this case” and having created “a deep level of understanding of the miscarriage of justice that led him to accept a plea deal to avoid the potential trauma to his mother of a death penalty being imposed.” One person commented, “after hearing the podcast, I’m so sorry all of this happened to you. I wish there was more I could do or give, but I pray you get justice. Blessings.” Another person said they “just finished the podcast. I’m so sorry you had to endure this miscarriage of justice. I pray blessings upon you.” After Season 2 aired, D’Ambra also shared the link to the page, writing that “so many” listeners “have asked me how they can help Clifton Spencer from CCS2.” The link to the page is also featured on the Season 2 podcast page.

The fundraiser reaching the milestone amount came just days after CounterClock released its third season. Season 3, which dropped all 20 episodes at once, finds D’Ambra re-examining the 1989 Pelley family murders and their possible connection to a number of unsolved crimes in Florida.