A judge has begun hearing testimony in consideration of his sentencing a man guilty of murdering his estranged husband. Craig Crawford pleaded guilty in June to aggravated murder and aggravated arson, both first-degree felonies, in connection with the death John Williams, a celebrated and prominent restaurateur in the area. As a condition of the plea deal Crawford no longer had to face the possibility of capital punishment should he have been found guilty.
The judge presiding over the case will hear as much as three days worth of testimony before he will render a decision on the sentencing. Right now Crawford could be sentenced to life in prison, or at least 25 years and up to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. The judge has said he won't announce any decision until the hearings conclude, and render a decision on Sept. 21.
Crawford murdered his husband in an early morning arson on May 22, 2016, when he intentionally set fire to the Capitol Hill home they shared. Williams, 72, had filed for divorce earlier in the month, and was ruled to have died from smoke inhalation caused by the fire.
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