Five people have been arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of a Paradise Valley couple, reports The Arizona Republic.
Michael Lee Crane faces a multitude of charges, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, arson, and burglary. His alleged accomplices - Brittnay Beinhauer, Kelly Steward, Shawn Nicloy, and Danielle Rossman - face theft or trafficking in stolen property charges.
All five suspects are no strangers to the law, according to The Republic. Crane has served time for drug possession charges. Steward pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and a forgery device in 2007. Beinhauer pleaded guilty to possessing drug paraphernalia in December. Rossman pleaded guilty to possession of a forgery device in 2006. Finally, Nicloy had just been released from prison on Jan. 13 for a drug charge.
Crane - the main suspect in the Paradise Valley murders - had been in jail in December on suspicion of eight felonies but was released less than a week later because prosecutors needed time to develop their case, according to The Republic.
Now that Crane is the focus of police investigations, the County Attorney’s Office has been quick to defend his early release.
“We face a necessarily high burden as the state to prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt, and sometimes that means to request an additional investigation to ensure that we have the necessary evidence to support a charge,” Jerry Cobb, a spokesman for the County Attorney’s Office, told The Republic. “We’re willing to defend our decision.”
The latest allegation against the five suspects could be their worst yet. Paradise Valley officers found the bodies of Lawrence and Glenna Shapiro in the bedroom of their burning home on Jan. 30 and have ruled it an arson and homicide case.
Under Arizona law, arson of an occupied structure is a class 2 felony. First-degree murder is one of the most serious crimes a person can be charged with. Conviction can carry severe criminal penalties, including life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Despite the arrests of the five suspects, police say the investigation is still ongoing, and they are actively looking for more persons of interest, according to The Republic.
Related Resources:
- Find a Phoenix Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
- Arson (FindLaw)
- First Degree Murder (FindLaw)
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