Grand jury indicts Niles man on murder charges

He is also accused in the robbery of a gas station, pizza shop and dry cleaners.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A Trumbull County grand jury has indicted a Niles man on death-penalty level charges alleging that he killed an ailing 76-year-old Weathersfield man and committed one robbery before the slaying and three more afterward.
The indictments were handed up Tuesday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court against Alan Matthew Francis, 42, who gave a Girard address, although police said he is a Niles resident. He will be arraigned Thursday before Judge John Stuard.
Charges
Francis, who has a police record of violence and drugs, pleaded innocent last week before Judge Stuard to charges of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary in the death of World War II Army veteran John P. Crocker, who was shot, bludgeoned and had his throat slashed.
The grand jury added to the earlier charges ones of aggravated circumstances in the murder, one count of robbery, three counts of aggravated robbery with firearm specifications and one count of having weapons while under disability.
In the indictment, Francis is charged with robbing Society Cleaners on Elm Road in Warren on Nov. 22, Papa John's Pizza on Vienna Avenue in Niles on Nov. 22 and the Fuel Mart on West Park Avenue in Niles on Nov. 23.
He was also indicted on a charge of robbery of a woman named Susan Davison on Nov. 17. No other details of that robbery are available.
Judge Stuard last week ordered Francis to be held without bond. He was arrested last week in the Trumbull County jail -- where he was being held on the robbery charges filed by Niles police. Niles Police Chief Bruce Simeone characterized Francis as being on a "crime spree."
Evidence leads to questioning
According to an affidavit used by Weathersfield Police Chief Joseph Consiglio to obtain an arrest warrant for Francis, he was arrested by Niles police Nov. 23, two days after Crocker's body was found inside his Emerson Street home.
Crocker suffered from pulmonary disease and emphysema and was always on oxygen.
A Niles officer's discovery of an emergency notification card belonging to Crocker in Francis' pocket led police to identify Francis as a suspect in the murder. The discovery was made by Niles patrolman Ron Wright while Francis was being processed on the robbery charges. That led Consiglio and Simeone to interview Francis.
Francis, a construction laborer, said he had no idea why Crocker's ID was in his pocket.
Went to borrow money
Francis told the chiefs that he met Crocker on Nov. 19, when he and a friend went to Crocker's home. The friend, who was not identified by name, wanted to borrow money from Crocker.
Crocker wrote the friend a $100 check, which was cashed the same day.
The friend told police that Francis didn't go inside Crocker's house, but waited in a car. Later during questioning, Francis admitted he was in the house -- although it's unclear when. He went to borrow money by himself.
In the house under a ruse to use the phone, Francis told police, he turned his back on Crocker. He said when he turned around, Crocker had a gun pointed at him. Francis said he lunged for the gun and grabbed Crocker's wrist when the gun discharged three times.
Francis said he later sold the .38-caliber gun for crack cocaine from a dealer he knows only as Marcus.
Police allege Francis used a pillow to muffle the sounds of the revolver being fired.