A teenager from West Virginia has been sentenced to two consecutive 40-year prison terms for the fatal shootings of his mother and sister.
A judge dismissed his pleas for leniency.
Connor Crowe was just 13 years old at the time of the incident in September 2020, and he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last November, thereby relinquishing his right to a trial in juvenile court or before a jury.
Despite his attorneys stressing his age as a mitigating factor, Hancock County Circuit Judge Jason Cuomo levied the maximum sentence on the now 16-year-old defendant. Judge Cuomo pointed out the severity of Crowe’s actions, noting that his sister Madison, who was 15 at the time of her murder, was younger than he is presently. The judge emphasized that Crowe had shown no remorse for his sister’s life and deprived her of future milestones like high school graduation, marriage, or motherhood.
After the shootings, Crowe fled their Weirton home and wrongfully accused a stranger of the crime. Nonetheless, the prosecutors presented evidence of gunshot residue on Crowe and a lack of any signs of forced entry or a fleeing intruder. Prosecutor Steven Dragisich argued that Crowe was fully cognizant that his actions were wrong, having planned the crime and even considered alternatives before committing the act. Dragisich insisted that these factors revealed the negligible impact of any mitigating circumstances and underscored the dangers in Crowe’s state of mind.
Crowe will remain within the juvenile justice system until he turns 18, at which point he will be transferred to a correctional facility designated for adult offenders. He may be eligible for parole after serving 15 years of his sentence.
