Former Virginia cop convicted of murdering wife and daughter-in-law

A former Virginia police officer was sentenced Friday to 150 years in prison for fatally shooting his estranged wife and adult stepdaughter nearly two years ago.

Richard Colon Crowder, who worked in the Henrico police K-9 unit from October 1986 until his retirement in November 2014, pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of first-degree murder.

According to police, the incident occurred in July 2022, when his wife, Diane Crowder, 53, had taken his belongings out of their home.

His daughter-in-law, Carrie Szaksz, 35, and at least two moving company employees were also inside the residence, local television station WRLC reported.

After the shots were fired, two men reportedly ran out of the house and were unharmed.

Crowder then barricaded himself inside the home for nearly nine hours. During this time, he fired shots that struck two Henrico County police vehicles.

After going to the police, officers entered the house and discovered the bodies of two women, later identified as his wife and stepdaughter.

In February, the 62-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. He also entered an Alford plea to attempted murder of two police officers — meaning he maintained his innocence while admitting the prosecution had enough evidence for a conviction.

He was sentenced Friday to 50 years in prison for each murder charge and 25 years for each aggravated murder charge, for a total of 150 years in prison.

With news feed services