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Man faces prison in beating of his former girlfriend
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Julius Crawford
YOUNGSTOWN
Julius Crawford, one of the survivors of an arson that killed six members of his family a few years ago, is looking at spending time behind bars for an attack on his former girlfriend.
Crawford, 20, of Plazaview Court, entered into a plea agreement Wednesday on three felony charges before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Crawford had been charged with aggravated burglary, felonious assault and menacing by stalking in December. In the plea agreement reached between Crawford and prosecutors, the stalking charge was dropped, and Crawford agreed to plead guilty to the remaining two charges.
Crawford told the judge he understood that, by entering the plea agreement, he was giving up his right to a trial and he was giving up his right to appeal.
Prosecutors are recommending a six-year sentence as part of the plea agreement. Crawford could be sentenced to as many as 18 years in prison on the two felony charges. He will be sentenced April 21.
The charges against Crawford stem from a severe beating he is accused of giving to his 17-year-old former girlfriend.
Police reports say officers were sent to Saranac Avenue just before midnight Nov. 25. Family members of the home’s resident went inside the house and told officers the North Side home was “trashed, and there was blood everywhere.”
Police found the teenage girl with physical signs of being beaten. The girl’s face and shirt were reportedly covered in blood. She also complained of injured ribs, and there were specks of glass in her hair.
The 17-year-old victim told police she ended a relationship with Crawford, who had been calling her continuously. The girl said she was awakened the night of the attack to find Crawford standing over her in her upstairs bedroom.
The girl told police Crawford began calling her names and punching her. She told police she ran into a bathroom and locked the door, but Crawford kicked in the door and continued punching, kicking and elbowing her. She said he also threw a vase at her.
The girl eventually managed to run out of the house to a nearby relative’s home and called police. Crawford was arrested a short time later near his home.
Crawford previously had been charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and possession of marijuana in separate incidents.
On Jan. 23, 2008, four children who were members of Crawford’s family perished in the fire at 1645 Stewart Ave., along with their mother and grandmother. Julius and his sister managed to escape the blaze deliberately set by 18-year-old Michael A. Davis of Youngstown. Davis is in prison for life.