Woman Acquitted of Attempted Murder Charges, But Found Guilty of Weapons Charges in Shooting of 78-Year-Old Man

By Andrew Michaels - January 3, 2024
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

A 28-year-old woman was found not guilty of attempted murder and manslaughter charges on Dec. 15 after she said she shot the 78-year-old victim in self-defense when he attempted to rape her.

The three-day jury trial of Marika Crawford concluded on Dec. 14 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeannie J. Hong. The following day, the jury found the defendant not guilty of attempted first and second-degree murder, armed robbery, robbery, theft between $100 and $1,500 and attempted voluntary manslaughter.

Crawford was found guilty of first-degree assault, firearm use in a felony or violent crime, reckless endangerment, having a loaded handgun on her person, having a loaded handgun in a vehicle and discharging a firearm. A verdict was not rendered for her second-degree assault charge, while the charge of having a handgun on her person was not sent to the jury.

The charge of having a handgun in a vehicle was dismissed, according to court documents.

Crawford’s sentencing is currently scheduled on May 6.

The prosecutor and defense attorney Martin Cohen were at odds throughout the trial when the former explained Crawford was mowing the victim’s lawn for $50 on the 1200 block of East Lanvale Street and went inside to use an upstairs bathroom. The prosecution argued that the defendant saw the victim’s wad of cash and went to get her gun, returning and then shooting the victim when he refused to hand over the money.

Meanwhile, Cohen argued his client was defending herself when the victim attempted to rape her and started choking her after she came back downstairs and laid on the living room couch. Crawford said she only shot the victim in the face because she started to black out.

Cohen also questioned his client’s motive for stealing the victim’s cash, saying she has a full-time job and owns her own business. He also accused the prosecution of helping the victim through his testimony, for example, reminding the victim he had $1,000 at the time of the incident, not just $100 like he had thought.