David Crawford, a former Maryland police chief, was sentenced to eight life sentences plus 75 years in prison for setting 12 fires targeting people he felt had wronged him. The prosecutor’s office said that the sentence is “a fitting punishment for his heinous crimes” and sends a strong message that those who commit acts of violence will be held accountable. Crawford’s attorney has said that they plan to appeal the sentence.
Posts tagged as “Maryland”
Federal investigators have revealed that design flaws in the pool deck of the Surfside, Florida, apartment building, which collapsed in June 2021 killing 98 people, put the building at risk of failure before it was even built. The investigation is still ongoing, and the findings of the investigation will be released in the coming months. The National Institute for Standards and Technology is working with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to ensure similar tragedies do not occur in the future.
The House Oversight Committee is set to vote Thursday on whether to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over a document subpoenaed by Chair James Comer. The document, an FD-1023 form, was brought back from Ukraine by Rudy Giuliani and is related to an alleged bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden. Attorney General William Barr set up an “intake process” for the material in April.
Four people were killed on Sunday when a private plane crashed in Virginia. The plane had taken off from Tennessee and was headed northeast towards Long Island when fighter jets were scrambled to intercept it. The wreckage is expected to take days to gather and sort, and the pilot's father has expressed his devastation at the news.
Prince George's County police have arrested Candace Craig, 44, and her 19-year-old daughter Salia Hardy in connection with the murder of 71-year-old Margaret Craig. The police were called to the home in the 200 block of Hill Road in Maryland after an unidentified person expressed concern for Margaret Craig's welfare. Candace Craig has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, while Salia Hardy has been charged with being an accessory after the fact.
Adnan Syed, convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 2000, will remain free while Maryland's Supreme Court decides whether to hear his appeal. Baltimore prosecutors moved to vacate his conviction in September, citing alternative suspects and unreliable evidence used at trial. The victim's family said they received insufficient notice to attend the hearing, which violated their right to be "treated with dignity and respect."
Maryland Senator Ben Cardin announced on Monday that he will not seek reelection in 2024, sparking speculation about who will replace him in the blue state. Potential candidates include Rep. Jamie Raskin, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Rep. John Delaney, and former NAACP President Ben Jealous. Cardin has been a reliable and amiable rank-and-file Democrat, and the race to replace him is expected to heat up in the coming months.
The Supreme Court has ruled that lawsuits brought by municipalities against major oil companies can move forward in state courts, allowing environmental advocates to hold the companies accountable for the effects of climate change. The ruling is a blow to the oil companies, who had been trying to avoid trials in state courts, and is a major setback for them. The outcome of the trials remains to be seen.