Man who tried to kill ex-girlfriend & killed her dog to be sentenced Thursday
Timothy Crawford is scheduled to be sentenced in a Tampa courtroom on Thursday.
He entered an open plea last month after trying to kill his ex-girlfriend in December 2023. He also shot and killed the victim's dog.
His sentencing hearing is set for 1 p.m.
TAMPA, Fla. - The man who traveled from Atlanta to Florida, then tried to kill his ex-girlfriend and shot her dog after the attack, is expected to learn his sentence in a Tampa courtroom on Thursday.
The backstory
According to federal prosecutors, Timothy Crawford left Atlanta in the early morning hours of Dec. 7, 2023, and began driving toward the home of his ex-girlfriend (referred to as "M.B.") in Odessa.
Court documents show that Crawford broke into M.B.'s house around 8 p.m. that evening armed with a pistol and stun-gun and waited for her to return home.
PREVIOUS: Georgia man traveled to Florida to kill ex-girlfriend and her dog: Officials
When his ex-girlfriend came home, Crawford punched, kicked and electrically stunned her numerous times, while telling her that he was going to kill her and her children.
M.B. defended herself with a dumbbell and ultimately escaped the home. Before leaving, authorities say, Crawford shot and killed M.B.'s dog, an 8-pound Maltese.
Deputies arrested Crawford a neighbor called 911, according to investigators.
M.B. was severely injured during the attack. Officials say she had extensive bruising to her body, neck and face, stun-gun burns, a fractured left orbital bone, nose, ring finger/hand and a laceration to her head requiring stiches.
Crawford admitted to breaking into the victim's house, using a taser on her, punching her in the face and killing her dog.
In April, Crawford entered an open plea in court and asked for a 20-year sentence, according to court documents. He faces up to life in prison.
What's next
Thursday's sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
The Source
This story was written using information from court documents and previous FOX 13 News reports.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Kremlin-backed Max messenger app to be pre-installed on all smartphones sold in Russia
Russia Social mediaFacebookTweetLink Follow The Russian government will require the state-backed Max messenger app to be pre-installed on all smartphones and tablets sold in the country, in a move that could increase surveillance of Russian citizens. In a statement Thursday, the Kremlin said Max would be installed on devices from September 1. The RuStore app, a homegrown rival to Apple's App Store, will also be pre-installed on iPhones. In addition, from January 1, the Lime HD TV program, which provides free access to Russian state TV channels, will be automatically installed on Smart TVs in the country. Max was launched by the state-controlled social media group VK in March as a replacement for VK Messenger, which has been on the government's list of mandatory apps since 2023. The new app allows users to send messages, make audio and video calls and send money, with additional features planned in the future. These will include the integration of a travel booking app, VK said in its latest earnings report. Around 18 million people have registered with Max since its launch, Russian state news outlet TASS reported earlier this week, citing the platform's press team. Max is similar to China's hugely successful WeChat app, which gives users an all-in-one outlet to message, post on social media and make payments and reservations. User activity on WeChat is most likely under heavy state surveillance, experts previously told CNN. At the same time, Russia has moved to limit the use of some foreign messaging services. Russia has already banned Facebook, Instagram and X. And earlier this month, the country's media regulator announced restrictions on voice calls via WhatsApp and Telegram 'in order to counter criminals.' WhatsApp, in its turn, accused Russia of attempting to block access to the app for its 100 million Russian users. Unlike Max, WhatsApp and Telegram provide end-to-end encryption, preventing third parties from accessing user data. Russia has attempted to make it increasingly inconvenient to use foreign social media apps, Anastasiia Kruope, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, noted in a report in July. 'This, along with active state-sponsored promotion of Russian alternatives, forced a growing number of users to switch to Russian browsers and social media,' Kruope wrote. Similarly, Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, senior fellows at the Washington, DC-based Center for European Policy Analysis, wrote last month that 'a sustained attack' on WhatsApp was part of the Kremlin's efforts 'to harass Russians into switching to Max from WhatsApp.' 'The policy is likely to work, especially if the population is given no choice,' they added. Max developer VK was co-founded by Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of Telegram, in 2006. Durov was forced out as CEO in 2014 after several arguments with the Russian state over censorship and refusals to hand over user data. Current VK CEO, Vladimir Kiriyenko, is the son of Putin's First Deputy Chief of Staff, Sergey Kiriyenko. CNN's Caitlin Danaher, Mitchell McCluskey, Katharina Krebs and Anna Chernova contributed reporting.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
'South Park' escalates war with Donald Trump in brutal new episode
"South Park" headed to Washington for its latest spoof of the Trump administration. The Comedy Central series' new episode "Sickofancy," which aired on Aug. 20, continued a season-long thread of mocking President Donald Trump and depicting him in a romantic relationship with Satan. In the episode, scenes at the White House show a long line of guests, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, lining up to meet with Trump and inflate his ego by presenting him with a gift, heaping him with over-the-top praise, and reassuring him about his physical endowment. Later, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is also seen bringing a gift to Trump, who verbally berates him. The main plot centers on Randy Marsh concocting a plan to grow his business by lobbying to change marijuana laws. So he sends Towelie, a talking towel, to Washington to meet with Trump and suck up to him. When Towelie arrives, he finds that statues of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln have been replaced with statues of Trump, which undersells his manhood. In another scene, guests about to meet with Trump at the White House are told to "avoid staring directly into" it. The episode also features Satan speaking with ChatGPT about trying to get out of his relationship with Trump, only to determine that there is "no escape from this place." Vice President JD Vance makes another appearance during a bedroom scene between Trump and Satan, where he is again depicted as Trump's servant. When Towelie is in Washington, he finds the place is swarming with troops, though the episode doesn't delve into this further. Trump announced on Aug. 11 that he had deployed 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C, and seized control of the local Metropolitan Police Force, which he described as an effort to "rescue our nation's capital" from crime. According to data from the Metropolitan Police Department previously reported by USA TODAY, violent crime in Washington, D.C., dropped 26% through Aug. 8, 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. With "Sickofancy," "South Park" kept up its satire of the Trump administration that has been a major part of its 27th season. In July, the series' buzzy Season 27 premiere, "Sermon on the 'Mount," introduced a new parody of Trump that used real photos of the president, crudely placed on an animated body. Trump was shown in the season premiere literally getting into bed with Satan in a way nearly identical to how "South Park" previously depicted Saddam Hussein. It was a notable shift in the way that "South Park," which has a reputation for ridiculing both sides of the political aisle, handled Trump. During the 2016 election, the show had one of its own characters, Mr. Garrison, run for president and serve as a stand-in for Trump, rather than focusing on the man himself. After uproar, 'South Park' pummels Trump again and hits at JD Vance, Kristi Noem The White House previously fired back at South Park's Season 27 premiere, with spokesperson Taylor Rogers saying in a statement to USA TODAY the show "hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention." But the show doubled down in the second episode of the season, which aired on Aug. 6 and featured the exact same rendition of Trump, who was once again shown as the lover of Satan. This time, the show also went after Vice President JD Vance. White House: 'South Park' hasn't 'been relevant for over 20 years' after Trump parody The Aug. 6 episode also mocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement's recruitment process. In the episode, school counselor Mr. Mackey loses his job and is instantly hired by ICE, despite his lack of qualifications. ICE agents were shown in the episode aggressively launching raids on a "Dora the Explorer" live show and even in heaven. The episode additionally skewered Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and featured her repeatedly shooting dogs, a reference to Noem's infamous anecdote about killing an "untrainable" family dog. When will the next episode of 'South Park' air? "South Park" is set to continue its Season 27 pattern of releasing one episode every two weeks. According to Comedy Central, the next episode of Season 27 will air on Wednesday, Sept. 3, followed by another episode two weeks later, on Sept. 17. Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY
CNBC
14 hours ago
- CNBC
CNBC Daily Open: The U.S. tech-sell off extends to its second day — but don't let it ruin your summer
If you have any U.S. technology stocks in your portfolio (and let's face it, who doesn't?), you might want to look away. For the second day in a row, tech stocks dragged markets lower, with the Nasdaq Composite slipping 0.67%. Juggernauts such as Apple, Amazon and Alphabet were more meh-nificent than magnificent, falling more than 1%. Palantir — the standout S&P 500 stock, having more than doubled so far this year — spent its sixth consecutive day in the red and lost its place among a ranking of the 20 most valuable U.S. companies. While Palantir's slide was partly triggered by a report from short seller Andrew Left's Citron Research, which called the company "detached from fundamentals and analysis," there was no single trigger for the broader pullback. Investors could have been spooked by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's caution about an AI bubble forming, although some analysts dispute that assertion. "In our view the tech bull cycle will be well intact at least for another 2-3 years," said Wall Street tech bull Dan Ives. Or it could be something benign, like traders locking in profits. "Tech stocks," said Carol Schleif, chief market strategist at BMO Private Wealth, "have had an incredibly strong run – with some up over 80% since the early April lows." Summer, after all, is far from over. Some investors might have just wanted to cash out for another round of margaritas. Fed officials divided over inflation and employment worries. Central bank governors generally agreed there were risks on both sides. But a couple — breaking from the majority — saw the labor market woes as more pressing, according to minutes of the Fed's July meeting. Trump likely to pick Kevin Hasset as next Fed Chair. The director of the National Economic Council firmly led the pack, according to a CNBC Fed Survey. However, respondents think the president "should" pick former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh. No new solar or wind power projects, Trump says. Renewable energy projects will no longer receive approval, Trump posted Wednesday on Truth Social. His comment comes after the administration already tightened federal permitting last month. Fourth day of losses for the S&P 500. Investors continued selling off technology stocks on Wednesday, with Palantir having its sixth straight losing day. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 closed at another high despite inflation in July coming in hotter than expected. [PRO] The Fed is expected to cut just as markets trade at highs. This is what tends to happen when both factors coincide, according to Goldman Sachs research. Trump has snapped up more than $100 million in bonds since taking office U.S. President Donald Trump has been on a multimillion-dollar bond-buying spree since taking office in January, investing in debt issued by local authorities, gas districts and major American corporations. Across 33 pages of filings with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, or OGE, dated Aug. 12, the president outlined 690 transactions that have taken place since he took office. The documents were made public on Tuesday.
