Death of Jennifer Ann Crecente
| Jennifer Ann Crecente | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | September 9, 1987 Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| Died | February 15, 2006 (age 18) Austin, Texas |
| Cause of death | Murder by shooting |
| Education | Bowie High School |
| Parent(s) | Drew and Elizabeth Crecente |
| Website | Jennifer Ann's Group |
Jennifer Ann Crecente (September 9, 1987 – February 15, 2006), a victim of teen dating violence, was an 18-year-old high school student who was shot and killed in southwest Austin, Texas by Justin Crabbe, an ex-boyfriend, on February 15, 2006. Crecente's murder was the first in Austin in 2006. In response to her murder, two charitable organizations have been formed, a memorial grant created in her name, and legislation passed in Texas to prevent teen dating violence.
Jennifer Ann Crecente was born in 1987 in Las Cruces. Her family moved to Austin, where she attended local schools, including high school. Among her classmates at Bowie High School in Austin was Justin Crabbe, until he dropped out of school in the tenth grade.
Jennifer was a camp counselor at SciTrek in Atlanta and hospital volunteer in Austin. Her aunt was a psychologist and it was a field Jennifer was considering for study.
She and Crabbe dated for a period but she had ended their relationship. Crecente was killed a few months prior to graduation.
Jennifer Ann Crecente's body was found at night on February 16, 2006 in a wooded area in Austin. Justin Crabbe, her ex-boyfriend, was arrested on February 18, 2006 on a charge of first-degree murder. Crabbe told police that he and a man named Richard were playing with a gun. Jennifer was about 20 to 30 feet away. The gun fired, and Jennifer fell to the ground. Crabbe did not check on Crecente to see how badly she was injured before fleeing the scene. A videotape showed Crabbe with another man purchasing ammunition at a sporting goods store. Crabbe was on parole from a prior felony conviction and could not legally purchase ammunition himself.
Crabbe pleaded "not guilty" on September 22, 2006. He was in jail and not eligible for bail. He faced a maximum sentence of life in prison. On March 6, 2007, Crabbe's court-appointed lawyers requested to have his videotaped confession thrown out. On March 22, 2007, Judge Charles "Charlie" Baird denied the defense's request to throw out the videotaped confession. Judge Baird set the trial date for July 23, 2007. On July 19, 2007, it was announced that there would be no trial for Crabbe but a court appearance has been scheduled for July 27, 2007. The court appearance was cancelled without explanation.
On July 31, 2007, it was announced that Crabbe had agreed to a guilty plea and that a hearing was scheduled for August 1, 2007. The terms were not released. On August 1, 2007, Crabbe pleaded guilty to murder as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Additionally, he testified before a grand jury. Crabbe's testimony resulted in a sealed indictment for Ricardo Roman. Roman was indicted on July 17, 2007 and arrested on July 31, 2007 in South Texas. On February 15, 2008, the Travis County District Attorney's office dismissed the indictment against Roman.
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