Further Update, MD, Erika Sifrit Sentenced to Life in Prison
Mark Fenster
Gentlepeople,
Update of two Tiny Dancer posts from June 2002 and an additional atc
thread in April 2003.
Fenster
*********************************************************
By David Dishneau
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, August 14, 2003; 5:23 PM [Published in the Washington Post]
Erika Sifrit, described by prosecutors as a depraved killer and by
family members as a model student, was sentenced Thursday to life in
prison plus 20 years for murdering a Virginia couple she and her
husband met while bar-hopping in Ocean City.
Sifrit, 25, wept as she apologized repeatedly to the victims' families
near the end of a four-hour hearing in Frederick County Circuit Court.
"I'm so sorry," she gasped between sobs. "I don't even feel worthy to
stand here and ask them to forgive me."
Sifrit, of Hollidaysburg, Pa., was convicted June 10 of first-degree
murder for the killing of Joshua E. Ford, 32, and second-degree murder
for the slaying of his girlfriend, Martha M. "Genie" Crutchley, 51.
Parts of the Fairfax couple's bodies were found in a Delaware landfill
nine days after the May 26, 2002, slayings.
Benjamin Sifrit, 25, was sentenced July 7 to 38 years in prison for
Crutchley's murder and other offenses. A Montgomery County jury
convicted him April 9 of second-degree murder in Crutchley's death,
but acquitted him of killing Ford.
Judge G. Edward Dwyer said the contrast between Erika Sifrit's actions
and the sweet-natured small-town girl her friends and family described
reminded him of the fictional characters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
"This is one of the more vicious and incomprehensible crimes this
court has witnessed -- and I've heard a lot," Dwyer said.
Six family members of the victims, many dressed in purple, a color
Sifrit reportedly hates, vented their pain and anger as they addressed
her in turn from the witness stand.
"I have such hatred in my heart for you. You stole so much from my
family, you don't deserve anyone's mercy or forgiveness," said Melisa
Ford, Joshua Ford's older sister.
Her brother, Mark, loudly told Erika Sifrit to "look at me, please,"
when she averted her eyes during his often sarcastic remarks.
"You're going to have lots of quality cell time," he told her.
Crutchley's sister, Anita Flickinger, barely spoke above a whisper as
she told Erika Sifrit, "It was not just the bodies of Genie and Josh
you threw away, it was the last shred of your humanity."
Erika Sifrit's parents and family friends recalled her apparently
happy childhood, academic success and stellar high school basketball
career. They said she changed after meeting Benjamin Sifrit while
attending Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg. The couple
married before telling her parents, and Erika soon began suffering
panic attacks that led to psychiatric treatment and anti-depressants.
"Her whole personality just completely changed," said her father,
Mitchell Grace, a construction company owner.
The probation officer who prepared a pre-sentencing report on Erika
Sifrit wrote of "complete mind control by her husband, coupled with
severe abuse of drugs and alcohol."
She faced a maximum penalty of life plus 69 years for her crimes,
which also included theft of the victims' property and burglary of a
Hooters restaurant, along with her husband, in Ocean City five days
after the killings.
Dwyer refused to recommend that Erika Sifrit receive a psychiatric
evaluation and possible treatment at the Patuxent Institution, a state
center for mentally ill inmates. A finding by Dr. Robert Katz, a
psychiatrist who examined her before sentencing, said she had an
"emotional imbalance" of the type Patuxent treats.
Dwyer said Katz' conclusion wasn't strong enough to recommend
treatment.
Erika Sifrit avoided the death penalty as a result of a deal one of
her lawyers, Arcangelo M. Tuminelli, made with prosecutors in return
for her cooperation. Sifrit's statements to police led investigators
to the remains and helped prosecutors convict her husband.
Prosecutors also agreed originally not to charge Erika Sifrit with
murder, but they dropped that deal after she lied about some details
in the case. Tuminelli said he will appeal her murder convictions on
the grounds that she should not have been charged.
The Sifrits' trials were moved out of Worcester County, Md., where the
crimes occurred, due to heavy publicity there.
The killings took place in an upstairs bathroom of the Ocean City
condominium where the Sifrits were staying. Afterward, Erika Sifrit
was photographed wearing what appeared to be Ford's silver ring on a
chain around her neck.
When police arrested the Sifrits at the Hooters restaurant, they found
Ford's distinctive ring, stained with both victims' blood, in her
purse, along with four spent shell casings from the murder weapon, a
.357 Magnum revolver tucked into her waistband.
Worcester County State's Attorney Joel J. Todd said at Erika Sifrit's
trial he believes she fired one of the shots that killed Ford and also
shot at Crutchley, but missed. He theorized that Crutchley was
finished off with a knife.
He acknowledged, however, that only the Sifrits know how Crutchley
died, since the only part of her recovered was her left leg. Ford died
of gunshot wounds; two bullets were found in his torso.
Dwyer said he believes Benjamin Sifrit pulled the trigger and cut up
the bodies but that Erika Sifrit was guilty for aiding and abetting
him.
stargazer
"Mark Fenster" <Fenster_2...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b5e42449.03081...@posting.google.com...
> Further Update, MD, Erika Sifrit Sentenced to Life in Prison
>
> Gentlepeople,
>
> Update of two Tiny Dancer posts from June 2002 and an additional atc
> thread in April 2003.
>
> Fenster
Thanks for the update, but am I reading this correctly, the husband who
supposedly killed or participated in the killing of both these victims, and
cut up their bodies to dispose of them, only got 38 yrs.?? Am I reading
this wrong?
sg
Mark Fenster
[snip rest of article]
Stargazer,
Yep, you did read that one correctly. Below an atc repost from April
11, 2003. Benjamin A. Sifrit was convicted of second-degree murder in
one of the murders, but acquitted in the other. Benjamin Sifrit also
was found guilty of being an accessory to the killings after the fact
for his admitted role in dismembering and disposing of the bodies.
At Benjamin Sifrit’s trial, an attorney for the defendant
claimed the murders were committed by his wife Erika Sifrit. It seems
clear that jury judging Benjamin Sifrit’s guilt rejected part of
this claim when they convicted him on one count of second-degree
murder, but not the entire claim.
Fenster
*********************************************
Split Verdict No Surprise in Montgomery
County's Well-Informed, Independent-Minded Juries Often Compromise,
Lawyers Say
By Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 11, 2003; Page B06
To lawyers in Montgomery County, the seemingly inconsistent verdicts
rendered Monday by jurors in Benjamin A. Sifrit's murder trial were
less than shocking.
That is because in Montgomery -- where juries are drawn from a pool of
generally liberal, well-educated, independent-minded citizens who
often are skeptical of authority and insulated from crime --
prosecutors and defense attorneys are accustomed to surprises.
To them, the fact that Sifrit was convicted in one killing and
acquitted in another, even though the killings occurred at the same
time, was hardly baffling. The split verdicts followed a familiar
formula: Twelve individuals, faced with the burden of reaching a
unanimous decision, chose the middle ground.
"To me, it has the earmarks of a compromise verdict," said lawyer Paul
F. Kemp, who had no connection to the case, in which Sifrit was
accused of murdering a Fairfax City couple in an Ocean City
condominium last Memorial Day weekend. "It's the nature of the
process."
After deliberating about 14 hours over two days, the jury of seven
women and five men found Sifrit guilty of second-degree murder in the
death of Martha M. Crutchley, 51, but cleared him of all charges in
the killing of Joshua E. Ford, 32. Sifrit, 25, also was found guilty
of being an accessory to the killings after the fact for his admitted
role in dismembering and disposing of the bodies.
"Obviously, it's an inconsistent verdict," said Montgomery State's
Attorney Douglas F. Gansler, whose office did not handle the case.
Sifrit was prosecuted by Worcester County authorities, but the trial
was held in Montgomery because of intense publicity on Maryland's
Eastern Shore.
"It happens all the time," Gansler said of the split decision. "They
compromise, and they come out with a verdict."
Sifrit, a former Navy SEAL, denied in testimony that he took part in
the killings, which he said were committed by his wife, Erika Sifrit,
who is scheduled for trial on two counts of murder in June. But
Benjamin Sifrit admitted that he cut up the bodies and threw them in
the trash. Only some of the remains were found.
Several jurors reached yesterday and Wednesday night declined to
discuss the reasoning behind the verdicts, saying the panel had vowed
to remain silent about the deliberations.
"We're very proud of the decision we put together," said juror Michael
Chmar, 31, a chef.
"Convicting anyone of murder is a very, very serious thing. Everyone
in that room was an intellectual and a responsible citizen of
Montgomery County."
He said their deliberations were thoughtful, respectful and
painstakingly guided by the facts as presented by both sides in the
trial, and the law as instructed by the judge. He said he and other
members of the jury have been e-mailing one another since the trial to
reaffirm their commitment to let the verdict speak for itself.
Worcester prosecutors sought to convict Sifrit of first-degree murder
of Crutchley and Ford, which could have led to a sentence of life in
prison without parole.
They argued that Benjamin and Erika Sifrit killed the couple as part
of a perverse game.
Lead defense attorney William C. Brennan Jr. worked to shift the blame
to Erika Sifrit, calling her "Crazy Erika" and depicting her as an
emotionally unstable person who mixed alcohol, diet pills and anxiety
medication.
After the verdicts, Ford's brother and sister-in-law and one of
Crutchley's relatives expressed disappointment that the jury did not
fully accept the state's case.
Erika Sifrit's attorney, Arcangelo Tuminelli, said yesterday that the
state would have had a much stronger case if it had been willing to
reach an agreement with his client to secure her cooperation against
Benjamin Sifrit.
"What I make of it is that there was little evidence to connect
Benjamin Sifrit to that condominium that night, and the state chose
not to call Erika Sifrit as a witness," Tuminelli said.
"Montgomery County juries are known to take great pains," said Neil
Jacobs, a Rockville lawyer. He said they tend to be skeptical of any
allegations, whether made by a prosecutor in a criminal case or a
plaintiff in a civil case.
stargazer
Thanks, I read it over a couple times and just couldn't figure out how she
ended up with so much time, well life, and he came out of it with only 38
years.
star