Prosecution Rests in Martin City Murder Trial
Defense attorneys chose not to present evidence in the trial against Del Orrin Crawford, who is accused of murdering a Hungry Horse woman and attempting to kill her husband in a 2022 shooting
By Maggie Dresser
Prosecutors rested their case on Wednesday afternoon in the murder trial of 42-year-old Del Orrin Crawford, whose defense attorneys chose not to present any additional evidence or testimony to the Flathead County jury.
Closing arguments will begin on Thursday afternoon before jurors begins their deliberations.
Crawford has pleaded not guilty to a felony count of deliberate homicide and a second felony count of attempted deliberate homicide for the August 2022 death of Whisper Sellars and the shooting of her husband, Doug Crosswhite. He has also pleaded not guilty to a felony count of evidence tampering and two felony counts of assault with a weapon.
Judge Dan Wilson is presiding over the trial, which began July 22 and has largely featured evidence and testimony describing circumstances involving intoxicated individuals in the victim’s party engaging in a heated argument with Crawford. The altercation also entailed physical shoving and aggressive behavior before the two people were shot. Several witnesses said nobody in the victim’s party was armed and that the defendant initiated physical contact.
Before Montana Department of Justice Assistant Attorneys General Selene Koepke and Thorin Geist rested their case, the prosecutors showed the jury a video segment of the defendant’s interview with Flathead County Sheriff’s Office detectives after the shooting.
Crawford is seen in the video acting nervous and defensive when responding to interview questions, refusing to tell law enforcement details about the wedding venue where his group was staying or where he stowed the gun that was used in the shooting.
Earlier in the trial, defense attorney Peter Lacny conceded his client acted strangely during the interview and attributed his behavior as a fight-or-flight response to the traumatic event.
Scott McConnell, who was a detective with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office at the time in the incident, interviewed Crawford in the early morning hours following the shooting and said the defendant did not appear to be intoxicated.
During the interview a distraught Crawford described a scene where three individuals – later identified as Whisper Sellars, Doug Crosswhite and Kristen Lundstrom – were pursuing him across the parking lot outside the bar following the confrontation about the golf cart.
According to Crawford, the group intimidated him and told him in an unserious manner to call the authorities, knowing law enforcement wouldn’t help him.
Amid the altercation, Crawford said he tripped over something, flew backwards and soon the trio was standing over him. The defendant said he assumed they were armed and felt he had no other option but to defend himself.
“I stood up, produced my handgun and shot twice,” Crawford told McConnell. “Everyone scattered and so did I.”
When asked repeatedly where Crawford stowed his 9 mm Smith & Wesson pistol, the defendant finally said it was unloaded in a treewell where no one could find it. Law enforcement later located the firearm in the front suspension of his vehicle.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys will present closing arguments tomorrow at 1 p.m.