A Jackson County man was sentenced to 60 years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his wife and unborn child.
Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Henry Boyce said in a news release that Rickey D. Crawford Jr., 41, won't be eligible for parole until he is at least 100 years old because he was classified as a serious violent felon because of his criminal history.
Crawford was accused in the Nov. 11, 2017, stabbing death of his pregnant wife, 33-year-old Amanda Michele Crawford, in their Campbell Station home.
Before the murders were discovered, Crawford had jumped in front of Diaz police officer Ben Barrett's moving police car in an apparent suicide attempt after Crawford fled his home, the release said.
"Officer Barrett requested assistance and a spontaneous statement made by Crawford at the scene of his attempted suicide implicated him as having stabbed his wife," the release said.
Amanda Crawford's family consented to Rickey Crawford's plea, the release said, because they wanted closure to the case without a trial.
State Desk on 01/23/2019