Latest news with #ChristinaSpicuzza
The Sun
07-05-2025
- The Sun
Terrifying moment Uber driver is carjacked by gunman before he ‘executed' her as she begged for her life
THIS is the chilling moment a gunman points a pistol at an Uber driver as she begs for her life before she is "executed". Senseless Calvin Crew was sentenced to life in prison without parole after the slaying of mum-of-four Christina Spicuzza, 38. 3 3 3 Harrowing footage captured shortly before the February 2022 murder shows the moment Crew enters the vehicle while Spicuzza is working. The 25-year-old is wearing a balaclava, concealing his identity, as well as a light hooded jacket. Recorded at about 9pm on February 10, the sick killer sits at the back of the taxi and waits for the innocent mum to drive on, before making the haunting threat. Crew draws a pistol, aiming it at the back of unsuspecting Spicuzza's head. The mum-of-four says: "You've got to be joking." But she quickly realises the severity of the situation before begging for her life. She pleads: "Come on, I have a family." But ruthless Crew ignores her desperate pleas, ordering her to "keep driving". 'Please take that off of me,' she says in the shocking footage. 'Do what I say and everything will be all right,' Crew tells her. The video ends when depraved Crew spots the dashcam recording and turns it off. Tragic Spicuzza was found two days after the video was recorded in a wooded area in Monroeville, having suffered a single gunshot to the head. The now convicted killer was arrested days later and charged with criminal homicide, robbery and tampering with evidence. The mum's family said they 'showed mercy' on the killer by asking the judge to spare him of the death penalty. The grieving relatives read impact statements to the court despite the killer failing to show up for his own sentencing. 'You should have the death penalty, but we showed mercy,' the victim's mum Cindy Spicuzza said. 'You executed her. No mercy, no remorse. It was abhorrent. It was murder.' Spicuzza's family had previously asked the court not to give Crew the death penalty. They confirmed before his trial began earlier this year that prosecutors said they would not seek capital punishment. Spicuzza's fiancé, Brandon Marto, emotionally blasted Crew in his statement for not mustering the courage to attend the sentencing. He said: 'No reason other than a coward. A coward who couldn't be here today to face this. 'Christy was everything for my family. I was lost, out of control. She saw something in me.' Marto added that he hoped Crew would 'rot and burn in prison'. The killer was also slapped with 13 to 26 years behind bars for kidnapping and robbery charges. Crew's defense attorney said that the convicted killer 'lived a childhood surrounded by violence and neglect'. Twisted Crew's lawyers indicated that he will appeal his conviction - and he maintains his innocence.
Toronto Sun
06-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
'ROT AND BURN': Man skips his sentencing for brutal murder of mother-of-four Uber driver
Her family asked for mercy and advocated for life in prison, citing her Christian faith Calvin Crew, left, was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Christina Spicuzza, a Pittsburgh-area mother of four who was making a living as an Uber driver. Photo by Handout / Allegheny County Jail / Pitcairn Police Department A Pennsylvania man convicted in February of the murder of a mother of four will spend the rest of his days behind bars. The sentencing of Calvin Crew, 26, was a formality inside a Pittsburgh courtroom on Monday as first-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence in the state. Crew did not attend his sentencing. Christina Spicuzza was 38 years old when she was shot dead on Feb. 10, 2022 while making a living as an Uber driver. According to dashcam footage obtained by police and released by the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, Spicuzza picked up Crew that evening after his girlfriend ordered a ride. 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Create Account NEW: Uber passenger sentenced to life in prison for executing a mother of four who was begging for her 25-year-old Calvin Crew was sentenced to life in prison for taking the life of Uber driver Christina Spicuzza. Spicuzza's fiancé unleashed during his impact… — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 6, 2025 In the video, what appeared to be a routine ride turned into a kidnapping when Crew took out a gun and pointed it at Spicuzza's head. 'Keep driving,' Crew told her. Spicuzza asked why he was doing this. 'I have four kids,' she said. She then asked him to stop but Crew ordered her to continue driving. 'Do what I say and everything will be OK,' Crew said before he pulled down the camera. Spicuzza was reported missing early the next day by her partner, Brandon Marto, after she didn't return home. Her body was found a day later as well as her vehicle. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Cindy Spicuzza, the victim's mother, said Crew deserved the death penalty but her family asked for mercy and advocated for life in prison. 'You have a life to live,' she told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 'Christi does not.' Marto said his fiancee had been happy to spend time with her family and her Christian faith was important to her. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'She would want me to tell Calvin Crew he would be saved if he accepted Jesus Christ as his saviour,' he said. 'I want to tell him to rot and burn.' Crew was also convicted of kidnapping, robbery, carrying a firearm without a licence, inflicting serious bodily injury, theft of a motor vehicle, and tampering with evidence. Read More At the sentencing hearing, Marto told Judge Edward J. Borkowski that the first years of his relationship with Spicuzza were rocky, but she showed him a way to a better life. 'When we first got together, I was half lost,' Marto told the judge. 'I was quite out of control, but she saw something in me.' Marto said he spent the next eight years being a better person than he was at the beginning of their relationship. 'I had a lifetime to make it right, and that was cut short,' he said. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala said in a statement that Spicuzza's death was a 'brutal senseless execution' following Crew's conviction in February. 'Sadly, this verdict cannot bring Christina back or change the tragedy her family has experienced with her loss, but we hope they are encouraged and find consolation in the justice served.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Brutal Murder of Mom-of-Four Uber Driver, Seen Begging for Her Life in Dashcam Footage
Calvin Crew was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Christina Spicuzza in February 2022 Christina Spicuzza was driving for Uber when she was kidnapped and murdered on the evening of Feb. 10, 2022 Calvin Crew was charged with murdering the mom-of-four, 38, after dashcam footage showed he pulled a gun after entering her car as an Uber passenger On Monday, May 5, 2025, Crew, 25, was sentenced to life in prison with an additional 13 to 26 years A man has been sentenced to life in prison without the opportunity for parole for the murder of a Pennsylvania Uber driver. Calvin Crew was charged with homicide, robbery and tampering with evidence days after Christina Spicuzza was killed on February 10, 2022, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE at the time. Dashcam footage released following the incident showed the mother-of-four, 38, had begged for her life. He was found to be guilty of first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping to facilitate a felony, evidence tampering and firearm charges in February 2025, according to WTAE. Crew, 25, refused to attend his sentencing at the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh on Monday, May 5, leaving his defense attorney to speak on his behalf. It was revealed that he maintains his innocence and plans to appeal his sentence, according to reporting by WTAE, WPXI and CBS News. Allegheny County Police Calvin Crew's mugshot Related: Dashcam Footage Shows Uber Driver Pleaded for Her Life Before Being Killed His defense attorney Adam Reynolds said that Crew 'lived a childhood surrounded by violence and neglect" and was "intellectually and socially challenged," per CBS Pittsburgh. While he originally faced the death penalty for the execution-style shooting of Spicuzza, her family instead asked prosecutors to seek life in prison instead, citing the mom-of-four's "religious beliefs," per CBS News. Crew's sentence includes another 13 to 26 years in prison, according to WTAE. Victim impact statements were read in court on Monday despite Crew not attending his sentencing. "You should have the death penalty, but we showed mercy," Spicuzza's mother Cindy Spicuzza said, according to WTAE. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Christina's life partner Brandon Marto referred to Crew as "a coward who couldn't be here today to face this." He emotionally added, 'Christy was everything for my family. I was lost, out of control. She saw something in me,' according to CBS News. The victim's sister also spoke, emphasizing that her four children would not see their mother again, the outlet reported. DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty The Allegheny County Courthouse Crew allegedly used his girlfriend's phone to order an Uber and then, once inside, pulled a gun on Spicuzza, according to the 2022 criminal complaint. "Come on, I have a family," Spicuzza said in a transcript of the dashcam footage, later saying, "I'm begging you, I have four kids." On Feb. 12, 2022, Spicuzza was found dead in a wooded area in Monroeville with a gunshot wound to the head. The dashcam footage was found days later near where Crew had allegedly asked to be dropped off. Read the original article on People
