By admin 
GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — A man will spend the rest of his life in prison for brutally beating his stepfather to death and attempting to kill his own mother in 2025 in Gilbert.
Read more ASU hockey coach defends leadership after player’s workout collapse
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced Wednesday that Gary Crawford, 58, was sentenced to natural life in prison with an additional 21 years for the murder of 91-year-old Oscar Casdorph and the attack of his 81-year-old wife, who is Crawford’s mother.
“This defendant’s family took him in, and he betrayed them in the worst way imaginable,” Mitchell said. “This sentence ensures he spends the rest of his life in prison, exactly where he belongs. My thoughts are with the victims’ families as they continue to grieve and try to heal.”
Around 6 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2025, Gilbert police officers were called to a home on Stratford Avenue, near McQueen and Elliot roads. A concerned family member had called 911 after her father, Casdorph, and her stepmother missed dinner plans and weren’t answering the phone or the front door.
Police went inside the house and found Casdorph dead on his bed with a head injury, and they found his wife still alive also with a head injury. The medical staff found his wife was shot, the bullet went through her head, and she had other injuries.
Family members told police Crawford had recently moved in with the couple. They also noted suspicious activity in Casdorph’s bank account, specifically withdrawals at a Chase Bank branch in Glendale before the murder. Police later learned that one of the couple’s vehicles, a minivan, was missing.
Read more PCSD requests help from the public in identifying suspect in hit-and-run
During an interview with detectives, police said Crawford admitted to killing Casdorph and tried to kill his mother. Court documents show Crawford made statements about “snapping” and becoming so angry that he “blacked out.”
Investigators said Crawford beat his stepfather to death with a hammer, then attacked his mother with the hammer before shooting her in the head.
Crawford had entered a guilty plea for first degree murder and attempt to commit first degree murder, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Read more Kyrsten Sinema’s ex-bodyguard accused of causing $200K in damage at her Cave Creek home