Teen breaks down in court when he receives two life sentences for shooting his mother and sister to death when he was just 13 – as prosecutor admits: ‘I don’t think we’ll really understand why’
- Connor Crow burst into tears as he received an 80-year prison sentence for the 2020 murders of his sister and mother
- The teen was just 13 when he committed the murders, which he initially tried to blame on an intruder in the home
- No motive has been given for the killings, leading prosecutor Steven Dragisich to admit: ‘I don’t think we’ll really understand why’
A West Virginia teen collapsed in court when he was sentenced to two life sentences for the murder of his mother and sister, aged just 13.
Connor Crowe, 16, was given an 80-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree murder for the September 2020 murders.
After shooting his sister, 15, and mother Melissa Rowland, 39, Crowe attempted to claim an intruder broke into his home and committed the murders, before pleading guilty to the murders later in November 2022.
The murders puzzled law enforcement officials as they continued to search for a motive, with prosecutor Steven Dragisich admitting, “I don’t think we’ll really understand why.”
Connor Crowe (right) burst into tears as he received an 80-year prison sentence
Crowe’s crimes shook the small town of New Cumberland, a small town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
According to the Weirton Daily Times, Crowe killed his mother and sister by firing several bullets into each of their torsos, killing them instantly.
The 13-year-old then stormed out of his house screaming for help from his neighborhood, claiming that a stranger had broken into his home and killed his family.
Crowe reportedly told a neighbor that he fired a shot at the assailant during the commotion, hitting him in the shoulder.
But the gun Crowe showed the neighbor was later linked to bullet fragments and shell casings from the crime scene, while forensics found the teen was covered in gunshot residue.
Police also claimed there was no evidence of a break-in at his home.
Following the teen’s guilty plea, Prosecutor Dragisich told Circuit Judge Jason Cuomo, “I am aware of the fact that he was 13 years old, but it is my job and my duty as this county prosecutor to protect the public and holding people accountable. for their actions.
“So we will seek the maximum sentence allowed by law, 40 years in prison for each offense, which would be 80 years in total.”
During Crowe’s trial, he was also reportedly unsure about waiving his rights, leading the judge to suggest that he might have received a reduced sentence if he appeared before a jury instead, the judge said. Law and crime.
“I don’t want anyone to plead guilty who hesitates to any degree – I’d rather every defendant stand trial before me all the time,” he told the killer.
But when Crowe tried to seek a reduced sentence during motions, Judge Cuomo knocked the teen down and condemned his heartless crimes.
The teenager was just 13 years old when he carried out the gruesome 2020 killings
“You are asking from this court a little less than the maximum so that you can make something of yourself,” he said. WTRF.
“Your sister would have graduated high school, I think a week or two ago. She never gets that chance. She will never go to college. She will never be able to walk down the aisle and get married and have children of her own.
“You took that from her. You haven’t given her a chance to make anything of herself, but you’re asking me to do that to you.”
Although the judge handed down the maximum sentence of 80 years behind bars, the killer is eligible for parole after 15 years.