SNOW HILL -- Since being convicted of attempted murder in December, Alexander Crippen has been awaiting his sentencing -- so he can appeal his case, with a new attorney. The 36-year-old Crippen was found guilty in Worcester County Circuit Court in December of first-degree attempted murder. He is biding time until a Feb. 28 court hearing, hoping Judge Richard R. Bloxom will grant his request for a new trial instead of imposing a sentence.
If he is not granted the new trial -- a life sentence is a possibility instead -- he has already begun to plan his next move, Crippen said in an interview at the Worcester County Jail, where he is being held.
He has looked into hiring a lawyer who specializes in criminal appeals, declining to comment on what specific parts of the trial he plans to contest, saying he will leave that decision to his lawyer.
"The whole investigation was about homicide... every paper states homicide. Every witness says they saw me shoot Reginald Handy," said Crippen, who maintained his innocence during the interview. "At the beginning, no one said anything about attempted murder."
Crippen was first charged in the death of Reginald Handy Jr. in June, after witnesses swore they saw him shoot and kill Handy. Those charges were vacated just before trial began, and replaced with attempted murder charges. Prosecutors said forensic evidence would have made it impossible to prove Crippen was the murderer.
The attempted murder case against Crippen relied in part on testimony from Torrance Davis, a cousin of Handy's. Davis stated he saw Crippen shoot Handy, and then try to shoot him.
Crippen recalled that during the trial, Davis invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination when asked about a prior shooting in Virginia, referred to as a "ranch party" in court questioning by Crippen's attorney, Arthur McGreevy.
During the two-day trial, numerous police officers and community members took the stand to testify against Crippen. But a handgun Crippen was supposed to have fired, nor the one reportedly on Handy at the time he was killed, were never recovered, Crippen said.
Police searched the Pocomoke River but were unable to locate the two handguns. Police did recover an assault rifle yards away from where Handy was shot and determined it was the murder weapon.
At the time of Crippen's arrest, Pocomoke police chief J.D. Ervin said Crippen and Handy "had a history with each other; they didn't get along." Crippen disputed that, saying he knew Handy by name but wasn't feuding with him.
Murder charges were later filed against Skylor Harmon, 18, of Cedar Street in Pocomoke, accusing him of being Handy's killer. Harmon is Crippen's nephew, Crippen said and Harmon's trial is scheduled to begin March 14.
Roanoke County police went to a Salem, Virginia, residence around 9:30 a.m. Monday after being contacted by concerned co-workers of Tina Smith, the girl's mother. They found the 41-year-old woman's body inside, and police said they were investigating the death as a possible homicide.
Virginia's Amber Alert website noted early Monday evening that Easley's car, a 2000 red Chevrolet SUV, has been found. But authorities are still looking for Tina Smith's vehicle, a silver 2005 Dodge Neon four-door sedan with Virginia license plates.