Henry Boyce, Third Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney, announced today Rickey D. Crawford, Jr., 41, of Campbell Station pled guilty to two counts of Murder in the First Degree. Crawford was sentenced to 60 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction and will not be eligible for release until he is at least 100 years old. Under Arkansas law Crawford is classified as a “Serious Violent Felon†due to his criminal history and, therefore, not eligible for early release.
The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred in Campbell Station on November 11, 2017. Crawford’s wife, Amanda Michelle Crawford, 33, was found dead in her home from multiple stab wounds. Her unborn child also died.
Crawford had jumped in front of Diaz police officer Ben Barrett’s moving police cruiser in an apparent suicide attempt after fleeing the scene of the murders. Officer Barrett requested assistance and a spontaneous statement made by Crawford at the scene of his attempted suicide implicated him as having stabbed his wife. Her body was found lifeless in the family home shortly thereafter.
Boyce said, “This case involved one of the most heinous acts I have seen in my career as a prosecutor. The victim’s family wanted closure to this matter without the necessity of a trial and this plea satisfies their wishes.â€