Conviction of Hesperia man’s murderer upheld by appeals court

MUSKEGON – The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the murder and gun convictions of Clinton Allen Crawford, Jr., of Muskegon Heights in the 2011 shooting death of a Hesperia man who ripped him off in a drug deal, according to mlive.

A jury convicted Crawford May 2, 2012, of murdering 42-year-old Scott Cooper after he ripped him off in a crack cocaine deal the night of Jan. 20, 2011, in Muskegon Heights. In an opinion dated Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014, an appeals panel comprised of three judges affirmed Crawford’s jury convictions of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm while committing a felony, mlive reports.

The appeals court also upheld Muskegon County 14th Circuit Judge Timothy G. Hicks’ 26-40 year prison sentence for the murder conviction. Crawford also has a mandatory, consecutive two-year sentence for the felony firearm conviction, according to mlive.

Crawford was convicted of shooting Cooper after he failed to pay $160 for a crack rock. It is believed that Cooper slipped Crawford $6 in rolled-up $1 bills before telling his friend to drive off with the crack. Crawford was convicted of firing several shots at the fleeing truck, killing Cooper with a single shot to the back his the head, mlive reports.

Crawford is lodged at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia. His earliest release date is 2039, and his maximum date is 2053.