Former Maryland police chief gets life prison terms for arson spree
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Former Laurel Police chief David Crawford was sentenced to two life terms plus 75 years in prison Tuesday for setting fires to three homes in Howard County and trying to kill eight people. “In light of the defendant’s age, he is not likely to breathe free air again, and we think it’s appropriate,” Howard State’s Attorney Rich Gibson said. “Today, the bill came due for this defendant.”
Crawford, 71, had served as Laurel’s chief from 2006 to 2010. He’d earlier worked for the Prince George’s County Police Department and the District Heights Police Department, according to Gibson’s office.
The stunning investigation into his fire-starting broke open in 2021, when authorities accused him of setting fires to approximately 11 houses, cars and garages across several Maryland counties over a multiyear period. His targets — from former police colleagues to his chiropractor to his stepson — where known to Crawford, and he had worked up grievances against them, investigators asserted.
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“Mr. Crawford is someone who lacks basic humanity,” Gibson said Tuesday. “It really is sad that he was able to carry on for so long.”
Former chief of the Laurel Police Department David M. Crawford was charged March 4, 2021 with 53 counts for allegedly committing arson and attempted murder. (Video: Prince George's County Police)
No one was physically injured in his fires. But residents had to flee their burning homes in terror and lost precious possessions.
Crawford’s convictions stemmed from incidents in Howard County. He still faces trials in Montgomery County, where he was charged with three counts of first-degree arson and other counts, and Prince George’s County, where he was charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder and other counts, according to court records.
Crawford expects to appeal his convictions in Howard County, his attorney Robert Bonsib said Tuesday.
“This is a sad and unfortunate ending for a man who for decades had well-served his community in law enforcement,” Bonsib said. “Mr. Crawford continues to maintain his innocence.”
In March, after a jury trial in Howard County, Crawford was found guilty of eight counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree arson and one count of first-degree malicious burning. He was sentenced for all those counts on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman for Gibson, with some of the terms consecutive to each other and others set to run concurrently.
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After the trial, Bonsib had taken strong exception to the attempted murder convictions. “While we did not think the evidence was sufficient on the arson charges, it was particularly deficient on any basis to believe that Mr. Crawford intended to kill anybody,” he said at the time.
During their probe of Crawford, investigators studied surveillance video that showed similar patterns of a fire-setter who used gasoline, according to authorities. Investigators linked multiple cases following a 2020 fire when they discovered Crawford had earlier disagreements with victims.
In January 2021, authorities said, a search of Crawford’s residence revealed key pieces of evidence, including a list of targets.
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Source: The Washington Post
