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Clarence Heatley was the leader of a criminal organization, infamously known as "The Preacher Crew", that was responsible for the murder, abduction, and extortion of more than 40 people in Manhattan during the 1980s and 1990s. Heatley was known as the "Preacher", who for his gruesome crimes obtained the name of "The Black Hand of Death".
Clarence Heatley had two of his prime lieutenants John Cuff and Anthony Boatwright, who collaboratively devised plans to abduct wealthy people, torture them, and blackmail them for money.
Cuff had been an officer in the then-existing New York City Housing Authority Police Department, while Boatwright had served in the military. Hence, all of them had skill in lethal weapons, which they collaboratively used to completely terrorize officials from the New York Police Department, which reached an extent where the FBI had to get involved.
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The complete story behind the investigation and search for Clarence Heatley's crimes is documented in Very Scary People Season 6, Episode 3 titled The Black Hand of Death. The episode is set to release on Investigation Discovery on December 30, 2024, at 12 AM EST.
5 chilling Details about Clarence Heatley's Crimes
1) Clarence Heatley spent most of his childhood in juvenile detention centers
Clarence Heatley was born in the neighborhood of Harlem, Manhattan, New York City in 1953, and had a troubled childhood. As per AETV, Heatley dropped out of school when he was in fourth grade, and slowly got involved in petty crimes around the Manhattan area. Due to this Heatley started having trouble with the law, and eventually he was sent to a Juvenile Center when he was just 9 years old.
2) Clarence Heatley formed a criminal organization called The Preacher Crew
The complete name of Heatley was Clarence "Preacher" Heatley, and for his crimes, he was nicknamed "Preacher" in the crime world. Heatley was originally a crack and cocaine dealer, who shared numerous feuds with fellow drug lords. Hence it was in 1983 when Clarence "Preacher" Heatley formed his own cult, which came to be known as "The Preacher Crew".
This crime organization was led by Heatley with John Cuff, also known as Big Cuff as his closest kin. Cuff had been an officer in the NYC Housing Authority Police Department, who was working as the driver for Heatley, who eventually joined the organization.
3) The Preacher Crew carried out numerous abductions and extortions
As per AETV, Clarence Heatley owned an apartment in the Grand Concourse building, located in Bronx County. This apartment served as the prime operating location for The Preacher Crew, where victims were severely tortured and blackmailed to extort money.
Most money that the gang members earned, came from extorting drug lords in the locality. Members of the gang called themselves janitors, and some members even had a symbolic tattoo of a bucket with a mop dripped in blood.
4) The Preacher Crew abducted, tortured, and killed a 12-year-old boy
As per The New York Times, on December 5, 1989, the Preacher Crew members kidnapped a young boy named Donnell Porter, who was on his way to school. Shockingly, he was Johnie Porter's nephew. Johnie Porter was a member of the gang. The kidnappers demanded a sum of $ 500,000 from Donnell's brother, Rich, in exchange for the kid, which then was reduced to $350,000 after negotiations.
The next day, Porter was directed to come alone to a McDonald's restaurant, with the money. However, upon reaching he found Donnell's index finger inside a coffee cup, with two of the victim's rings, along with a recorded cassette in the washroom, with the young boy's voice pleading for help.
Rich Porter's dead body was found hidden in the bushes of Orchard Beach Park the following year on January 4, 1990. The investigators retrieved a sum of $2,239 from his pocket. Donnell's dead body was found wrapped in garbage bags on City Island, New York, on January 28, 1990.
5) Clarence Heatley and John Cuff were found guilty of their crimes
The murders committed by the Preacher Crew reached their peak during the mid-1990s. This is when the authorities decided to create a special task force named C-11 Squad, comprising cops, agents, and detectives specially tasked to catch the drug and abduction racket of the Preacher Crew. The C-11 Squad comprised of 3 DEA agents, 12 FBI agents, 3 IRS agents, and 12 NYPD agents.
As per AETV, the squad succeeded in arresting one of the crew members, who provided intel about Heatley and his three prime crew members. It was on July 15, 1996, when Clarence Heatley was charged with 3 murders, plotting to murder, and racketeering. By August 12, both Heatley and John Cuff had been arrested by the New York Police Department, and placed under federal custody.
It was on February 5, 1999, when Clarence Heatley pleaded guilty to all the charges imposed upon him, including 13 murders. On March 22, 1999, John Cuff pleaded guilty, to committing 11 murders. Eventually, the Preacher Crew was disbanded, with most of its members getting arrested. It was on May 14, 1999, when Judge Michael B. Mukasey sentenced Clarence Heatley to 225 years in prison, and will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Very Scary People Season 6, Episode 3 seeks to dig deep into Clarence Heatley's life in crime, showcasing his reign. The episode will also cover Porter's death. The official synopsis of the episode of the real-life drama reads,
Drug kingpin Clarence rules NY; he rakes in millions during the crack epidemic.
Very Scary People Season 6, Episode 3 titled The Black Hand of Death will be released on December 30, 2024, at midnight EST on Investigation Discovery.
