Prosecutors: Defendant used toilet tank lid in Modesto motel death

Authorities believe Cody Ray Clayton used a porcelain toilet tank lid to beat Barbara McClures to death. The 58-year-old woman’s body was found Friday morning inside a Modesto motel room along South Ninth Street.

Prosecutors on Tuesday formally filed a charge of murder against Clayton, 25, of Modesto. The defendant also faces enhancements to the murder charge, alleging he acted with premeditation and used a deadly weapon listed as the porcelain toilet tank lid on the criminal complaint.

Clayton made his first courtroom appearance since his arrest early Saturday. Deputy Public Defender Benjamin Rosenstein, Clayton’s court-appointed attorney, entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client and denied the enhancements.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Thomas Zeff set Clayton’s bail at $1.03 million and scheduled the defendant to return to court March 29 for a pretrial hearing.

Deputy District Attorney Brad Nix had sought a higher bail. The prosecutor told the judge that McClure suffered “a very savage beating.” He also argued that there were signs of “anger that cannot be explained,” and Clayton would pose a significant risk to the public if he were to be released on bail.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, Clayton remained in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail.

McClure was found in a room at the Budget Inn motel. The criminal complaint indicates the woman was killed on or about Feb. 19, but no further details about her death have been released by authorities. It’s unclear whether McClure was staying in the motel room or whether the defendant knew the woman.

Clayton was taken into custody after Stanislaus County sheriff’s detectives received a tip from the Modesto Police Department regarding the homicide investigation.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Prosecutors: Defendant used toilet tank lid in Modesto motel death."