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UPDATE: Foster Twp. man charged with criminal homicide

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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; In the eyes of the law, Kenneth Carl Crawford III is a convicted double murderer. In the eyes of his adopted brother, Crawford is a beloved addition to the family.</p><p>&#8220;I know who Ken is personally,&#8221; David Sanford testified Tuesday during Crawford&#8217;s re-sentencing hearing in connection with a 1999 homicide case. &#8220;He&#8217;s a beautiful human being who I&#8217;ve come to know and love.&#8221;</p><p>Since 2001, Crawford has been serving two life sentences in connection with the shooting deaths of Diana Algar and Jose Molina at the Paradise Camp Resort in Hollenback Township.</p><p>Crawford, a 34-year-old Oklahoma native, was 15 at the time of the murders. A co-defendant, David Hanley, was 18 then, and is serving two life terms. But Crawford became eligible for a new sentence in the wake of a Supreme Court decision striking down mandatory life sentences for juvenile killers. Testimony in his re-sentencing hearing entered its second day Tuesday.</p><p>Prosecutors are seeking two consecutive life terms with the possibility of parole, while the defense is looking to have Crawford&#8217;s sentence reduced to a 25- to 50-year term.</p><p>A psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Rushing, says she believes Crawford is capable of redemption, telling the court his violence could be largely chalked up to a violent, abusive upbringing.</p><p>But the bulk of Tuesday&#8217;s testimony came from members of the Sanford family, who met Crawford through the art he made in prison.</p><p>The Sanfords eventually came to know him, love him and finally adopted Crawford as a son in 2015.</p><p>The initial connection was though matriarch Cindy Sanford, 59, after some of the convicted man&#8217;s artwork ended up at her art store in Berwick. What began as business correspondence eventually transitioned into a more friendly relationship.</p><p>&#8220;I thought I&#8217;d hear all sorts of complaints about jail,&#8221; Cindy Sanford said. &#8220;But he was always upbeat, which surprised me.&#8221;</p><p>Eventually, letters turned into meetings, with Cindy and her husband, Keith Sanford, 65, later bringing their family along to meet him.</p><p>Cindy said she became a mother figure to Crawford, a man who had been largely abandoned by his biological family, eventually letting him call her &#8220;mom.&#8221;</p><p>David Sanford, 31, said meeting Crawford was an immediately powerful experience. </p><p>&#8220;I just felt this incredible peace, which surprised me because it was the first time I walked into a maximum security prison.&#8221;</p><p><strong>&#8216;Deeply sorry&#8217;</strong></p><p>Crawford also took the stand, reading a letter mostly directed to Robert Algar Jr., the widower of Diana Algar.</p><p>&#8220;Eighteen years ago, my choices, my actions, my stupidity caused unbearable pain,&#8221; Crawford said. &#8220;They in no way deserved what happened.&#8221;</p><p>Crawford, who has served as a peer counselor for other inmates, says he&#8217;s taken an active role in prison life so he could better himself.</p><p>&#8220;I know my words count for very little,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But hopefully, my actions of trying to help others are some small comfort.&#8221;</p><p>When Crawford reached the end of the letter, he told Algar he was &#8220;deeply sorry&#8221; for the pain he caused him, and covered his face as he was overcome with tears.</p><p>In testimony Monday, Algar told the court he didn&#8217;t believe Crawford was the same person he was in 1999, adding the defendant&#8217;s religious beliefs were something that should be taken into consideration at re-sentencing.</p><p>Testimony will continue Wednesday before Luzerne County Judge Fred A. Pierantoni III, who will eventually hand down a new sentence.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Convicted killer Kenneth Carl Crawford III said nothing as he was taken out of the Luzerne County Courthouse after the second day of testimony in his re-sentencing hearing. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_crawford.jpg</photo0><caption0>Convicted killer Kenneth Carl Crawford III said nothing as he was taken out of the Luzerne County Courthouse after the second day of testimony in his re-sentencing hearing. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Adopted family of convicted killer calls him a ‘beautiful’ person