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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Convicted Killer Renews New Trial Bid

OCEAN CITY -- A little over a month after Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler filed a motion seeking to dismiss Erika Sifrit’s latest appeal, the convicted killer who, along with her husband Benjamin Sifrit, brutally murdered and dismembered a couple vacationing in Ocean City in 2002, has renewed her attempt at a new trial.

In March, Erika Sifrit, now 34, filed a petition seeking an overturn of her prior convictions and sentences and a renewed bid for a new trial, citing, among other things, her defense counsel’s failure to fully explore her history of mental illness and her emotional dependence on her husband at the time of the heinous crimes. In 2003, Erica Sifrit was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Joshua Ford and second-degree murder in the death of Martha Crutchley and was sentenced to life in prison plus 25 years.

The Sifrits lured Crutchley and Ford back to their Ocean City condo on Memorial Day weekend in 2002 after spending the evening with them at a resort nightclub before brutally murdering them and dismembering their bodies, parts of which were found in a Delaware landfill nine days later. The couple was caught during a botched burglary attempt at a north end restaurant nearly a week later and a trail of evidence led investigators to the scene of the murders. In the years since, Sifrit has filed numerous appeals and has been denied at each turn. Her latest appeal was filed in federal court in March and seeks an overturn of the convictions and a new trial.

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5 comments:

  1. If I recall correctly,his trial and hers were held in different locations.His was held first,with the outcome communicated to her trial proceedings.He placed the nucleus of the blame on her,which caused her involvement in the murders to be viewed equally with his.The problem was that he was a big strong ex Navy Seal and she was a 95 pounder soaking wet.She deserves to at least have the circumstances re visited,because she could not have accomplished that which he claimed she did.Of course she's guilty,just not as much as he.

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  2. A reasonable person would have to wonder just how many other human beings might have been murdered by this cold and callus couple before they were accidentally caught doing a simple breaking and entering. Only later, just by chance did their murdering spree even become apparent to l.e., otherwise they might still be out there today doing business as usual.

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  3. 113-Many Vietnamese fighters were her size, back during the "conflict" what is your point? Brutality can come in all shapes and sizes. If I recall correctly, she held the couple at gun point.

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  4. Even a 95 lb. woman is deadly when she has a .45 in her hand.

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