Former Laurel police chief sentenced to life for Howard County fires

The previous Laurel police chief accused in a string of arsons round Maryland was sentenced Tuesday to life in jail for the fires he set in Howard County.

Howard Circuit Choose Richard S. Bernhardt gave David Michael Crawford, 71, consecutive life sentences plus 75 years in jail. Imposing a complete of eight life sentences, Bernhardt dominated that Crawford might serve six of them on the similar time.

“Arsons destroy individuals,” Bernhardt stated.

In March, a jury discovered Crawford responsible of eight counts of tried first-degree homicide — one cost for every of the individuals house throughout fires he set to homes in Elkridge and Ellicott Metropolis — and three counts of first-degree arson and one depend of malicious burning.

In sum, authorities say, Crawford is chargeable for setting a dozen fires in six counties from 2011 to 2020.

At trial in March, prosecutors offered proof from all 12 fires to indicate his sample: Crawford saved on his pc a coded record of individuals he felt had slighted him in issues private or skilled, researched their properties and put flame to them below the quilt of darkness — generally greater than as soon as.

In Howard County, Crawford set his chiropractors’ home ablaze whereas the medical doctors, their youngsters and a relative had been house. He additionally twice ignited the house of a girl whom he labored with on a college redistricting initiative, with one of many fires going down when she, her husband and daughter had been house. He additionally scorched a automobile outdoors of the home of a nonprofit director Crawford’s spouse butted heads with.

“Crawford is somebody who lacks fundamental humanity,” Howard County State’s Legal professional Wealthy Gibson advised reporters after Tuesday’s listening to, calling the sentence “acceptable.”

Regardless of the jury’s verdict, Crawford’s legal professional, Robert Bonsib, stated Tuesday that his shopper maintains his innocence and plans to attraction.

“It’s a tragic ending for Mr. Crawford,” Bonsib advised reporters.

A number of of Crawford’s victims gave affect statements Tuesday, saying his actions shattered the sense of security they as soon as felt in their very own houses and left them with lasting psychological well being issues.

Crawford put flame to Scott and Evelyn Henderson’s Ellicott Metropolis house in 2017 when the couple, their youthful daughter and canine had been there. The hearth pressured them into short-term housing and so they took out one other mortgage to construct their dream home as a strategy to heal. About two weeks earlier than they had been to maneuver into the reworked home, Crawford burned it to the bottom.

Quinn Henderson was recovering from substantial leg surgical procedures in highschool when Crawford lit the home on fireplace, along with her inside. She was capable of limp out along with her mother and father, however rushed again into the burning house to rescue the household’s beloved canine “Scooby.”

“Earlier than [Crawford] single-handedly ruined my life with no regret, I used to be harmless,” Quinn Henderson, now 22, stated in court docket. “I believed this world was a lovely place and that evil individuals solely existed in films.”

She went on to explain her struggles with post-traumatic stress dysfunction and different psychological issues that yielded suicidal ideation and compelled her to complete highschool from house. Her mother and father and older sister echoed that deep emotional toll and detailed the monetary hardship attributable to the fires. Additionally they spoke of mementos misplaced to the flames.

“Flames are indiscriminate. They take what they need and depart what you don’t,” Evelyn Henderson testified. “And the totems that remind you who you had been, who you might be, and who you hope to be: These vanish. A polaroid image of a tow-headed child below an Ocean Metropolis solar. Gone.”

“A storybook,” Henderson continued, “its order and cadence of one-syllable phrases, lengthy since memorized, compulsory studying after baths and dangerous goals. Gone. A bin of mismatched barrettes. Gone. Vibrant bits of candy-colored plastic I as soon as used to to pin again valuable, cornsilk smooth wisps of child curls. Gone.”

Bernhardt learn aloud segments of the affect statements, submitted in writing forward of the court docket date, that moved him earlier than handing down the sentence.

“Arson,” the decide stated, “is a customized crime.”

He ordered Crawford pay virtually $1.2 million in restitution to insurance coverage corporations that coated most, however not all, of the fires’ injury.

Saying he was happy the state’s case supported the jury’s verdict, Bernhardt highlighted items of proof he discovered “extraordinarily disturbing.“

Crawford bought an arrogance license plate that learn “SURECAN,” which was the model of fuel canister that investigators discovered scores of in his storage. Surveillance footage for a number of of the fires displayed at trial confirmed a person in a hooded sweatshirt stroll as much as the goal properties carrying cans of fuel, pouring the liquid out after which igniting it.

After fires, Crawford contacted his victims below the guise of a involved neighbor or relative. Typically, he provided to assist examine or use connections from his many years in legislation enforcement.

“This have to contact individuals after these homes have been burned, it’s a have to revel within the ache,” Bernhardt stated.

It took investigators years to acknowledge a connection between the blazes spanning a lot of central Maryland: All had been set with gasoline and occurred between 1 and 4:30 a.m. All however one started in a driveway. The entire victims, it turned out, had some sort of connection to Crawford, even when some appeared insignificant.

Police arrested him in March 2021.

Circumstances in opposition to Crawford are pending in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. In Frederick County, he entered an Alford plea — sustaining his innocence however acknowledging the state had sufficient proof to convict — and acquired sentenced to twenty years in jail, with all however 18 months suspended. He was credited for already having served that point earlier than trial.

Labeling him a “hazard to each single individual” if launched, Howard County Senior Assistant State’s Legal professional Patricia Cecil urged Crawford “ought to spend the remainder of his pure life in jail.”

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A pre-sentence investigation set the rules for Crawford’s punishment at 85 to 130 years.

Bonsib requested Bernhardt to disregard the tried homicide convictions and impose a sentence below the rules for 3 arson convictions, 12 to twenty-eight years, saying his shopper’s crimes solely brought on property injury. He additionally famous Crawford’s superior age and touted his profession in legislation enforcement.

“Mr. Crawford has achieved some good issues in his life,” Bonsib stated. “The jury has determined he has achieved some dangerous issues.”

After penning a 22-page letter to the decide, Crawford accepted a possibility to talk in court docket.

“This has been fairly the ordeal for everybody concerned, particularly for the victims and their households,” he stated, earlier than addressing feedback about religion in God to a few whose house he burned twice.

Bernhardt granted a request from Crawford’s legal professional to seal the letter he submitted, citing details about youngsters inside. However the decide stated Crawford described his legacy as one in all being dedicated to serving to others, each at house and in legislation enforcement.

“To the extent that was his legacy, it’s gone now,” Bernhardt stated. “He’s been described as a monster right here right now, and that’s the legacy I consider will observe him.”