CT: Woodchipper killer released from prison
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 5:27 pm
https://www.newtownbee.com/01302020/ric ... -veterans/
Richard Crafts was convicted in 1990 for the November 1986 murder of his wife. Prosecution's theory was he clubbed her in the head at home, froze her body in a newly purchased freezer, cut her up with a newly purchased chainsaw, and fed the parts through a rented woodchipper. Police found bits of his wife's body, enough to make an ID for a death certificate and after two trials Crafts was convicted in Connecticuts first murder-without-a-body trial and sentenced to 50 years in prison.
At the time Connecticut had a fairly generous "time off for good behavior" law on the books, so by staying out of trouble and working prison jobs Crafts was able to reduce his sentence and was released from prison -- at age 82 -- a few months ago to a half-way house, and then to a home for homeless veterans. He is expected to be fully released some time in June 2020.
Another article on it: https://www.newtownbee.com/01302020/ric ... -veterans/
I don't know what his military service was that qualified him for the veterans home, but at the time of his arrest he was an airline pilot and a police officer. Perhaps he was a military pilot at some point.
I was overseas at the time of the murder and later trial, so missed the whole thing, but heard a lot about this when I came back to CONUS.
ETA: According to https://web.archive.org/web/20130310162 ... der/4.html
he joined the Marines, became a helicopter and fixed wing pilot, and later flew for Air America in the far east.
Richard Crafts was convicted in 1990 for the November 1986 murder of his wife. Prosecution's theory was he clubbed her in the head at home, froze her body in a newly purchased freezer, cut her up with a newly purchased chainsaw, and fed the parts through a rented woodchipper. Police found bits of his wife's body, enough to make an ID for a death certificate and after two trials Crafts was convicted in Connecticuts first murder-without-a-body trial and sentenced to 50 years in prison.
At the time Connecticut had a fairly generous "time off for good behavior" law on the books, so by staying out of trouble and working prison jobs Crafts was able to reduce his sentence and was released from prison -- at age 82 -- a few months ago to a half-way house, and then to a home for homeless veterans. He is expected to be fully released some time in June 2020.
Another article on it: https://www.newtownbee.com/01302020/ric ... -veterans/
I don't know what his military service was that qualified him for the veterans home, but at the time of his arrest he was an airline pilot and a police officer. Perhaps he was a military pilot at some point.
I was overseas at the time of the murder and later trial, so missed the whole thing, but heard a lot about this when I came back to CONUS.
ETA: According to https://web.archive.org/web/20130310162 ... der/4.html
he joined the Marines, became a helicopter and fixed wing pilot, and later flew for Air America in the far east.
