Crenshaw to be sentenced today for murders
The hearing, set to begin at 9:30 a.m. could last about two hours. Family and friends of victims Sarah A. Clark, 18, and Tanner E. Pehl, 20, are expected to speak, as are members of Crenshaw's family.
Crenshaw's mother and grandmother attended the two-week trial, which ended when 12 jurors convicted the 22-year-old of two counts of aggravated first-degree murder on July 27. Crenshaw has been in Spokane County Jail since Feb. 29, 2008, one day after he stabbed Clark and Pehl to death in Pehl's home at 512 E. Elm Road, then torched the home.
The only punishment for aggravated first-degree murder in Washington state is the death penalty or life in prison without parole; prosecutors already have decided not to seek the death penalty.
So the pressing question this morning is: What will Crenshaw say?
Eitzen will give the young man a chance to address the court before she sentences him.
The California native, who moved to Las Vegas as a young teen or preteen and is a recovering heroin addict, has spoken to her at court hearings against the wishes of attorneys, including a rejected request just before the trial to undergo a test in which he drinks alcohol and an expert analyzes how drunk he becomes .
Four months after his arrest, he successfully asked Eitzen for a new attorney, saying an employee with the public defender's office is close friends with Clark's family.
Crenshaw maintained his innocence early on, but he never denied his responsibility at the trial. His lawyer, Spokane County prosecutor candidate Chris Bugbee, told jurors Crenshaw suffers from a rare alcohol disorder that cause bizarre and violent behavior and asked for a manslaughter conviction.
Jurors took about four hours to reject that argument last week. Check my Twitter page for occasional updates from the courtroom.
Past coverage:
July 27: Crenshaw guilty of '08 double murder
July 27: Crenshaw murder trial heads to jury
July 12: Killer: Trust no one, broken hearts, knives