SHARE

Mount Vernon Man Convicted Of Murder In 2012 Stabbing

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. -- Mount Vernon resident Lucius Crawford, who stabbed his girlfriend 31 times in a jealous rage in 2012, has been convicted of murder and faces up to life in prison.

Lucius Crawford was convicted of murder in the 2012 Mount Vernon homicide.

Lucius Crawford was convicted of murder in the 2012 Mount Vernon homicide.

Photo Credit: Westchester County District Attorney's Office

According to Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore, the 61-year-old Crawford was convicted of felony counts of second-degree murder and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon on Wednesday.

Crawford faces a minimum of 25 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Tonya Simmons, on Dec. 4, 2012, in Mount Vernon.

About 11:30 a.m. on the date in question, the victim and defendant entered Crawford’s Beekman Avenue residence, though shortly after, only Crawford came out of the home to make a pair of 911 calls, alerting police that someone was injured inside the location.

Members of the New York  and Mount Vernon police departments responded to the scene and found the victim dead on arrival with more than 30 stab wounds to her torso. Crawford was subsequently arrested by local police and later admitted it stemmed from jealousy.

According to DiFiore, a DNA match from the federal Combined DNA Index system in July 2012 also linked Crawford to the body of Yonkers resident LaRonda Shealy on Sept. 13, 1993. This led to NYPD detectives, state police and Yonkers cold case detectives to opening an investigation, which eventually led back to Crawford.

Crawford faced two additional charges stemming from the Bronx homicide, but a mistrial was declared because the jury failed to reach a verdict. Sentencing from the Mount Vernon murder will be on Tuesday, July 1.

Assistant District Attorney Patricia Murphy, chief of the Superior Court Trial Division, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Paula Branca-Santos of the Superior Court Trial Division prosecuted the case. The Bronx District Attorney handled the Bronx homicide.

to follow Daily Voice Mount Vernon and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE