Philadelphia man who killed his ex-girlfriend gets life in prison

A North Philadelphia man who killed his ex-girlfriend in 2018 as her coworkers looked on in horror was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Monday during a hearing in Montgomery County.

Lawrence Crawley, 36, was convicted of first-degree murder and related offenses in January 2020 after he ambushed Angela Maya Stith, 33, outside her workplace, stabbed her more than 10 times with a knife, and ran her over with his SUV. Crawley then fled toward Pittsburgh, and was arrested on the Pennsylvania Turnpike by State Police troopers after setting himself on fire in an attempt to take his own life.

The first-degree murder conviction automatically carried a term of life in prison, but prosecutors successfully argued Monday for Crawley to be incarcerated for a consecutive 9-18 years for the lesser charges he faced.

The assault — captured on surveillance video from Vector Security in Whitemarsh Township — was the subject of a weeklong trial, one of the last to be held in Montgomery County before the COVID-19 pandemic.

» READ MORE: Jury convicts Philadelphia man of killing ex-girlfriend outside her Montgomery County workplace

District Attorney Kevin Steele, who prosecuted the case, called Crawley’s crimes some of the worst he’d seen. He asked Montgomery County Court Judge Thomas Branca to impose the maximum penalty for Crawley, saying he had planned the attack and had come prepared with weapons and a roll of duct tape.

“Your honor, those are choices, and the choices that he made to kill this young woman with her life ahead of her, with this incredible family,” Steele said. “And the choices that he made to leave her children without a mother.”

Branca said Crawley showed a lack of remorse.

“The facts of this case cry out for me to impose the maximum sentence,” he said. “Anything less would belittle what you did, anything less would belittle the danger you pose to women and the community.”

» READ MORE: ‘Oh my God, he just ran over her.’ Relatives relive woman’s gruesome death in court.

Crawley took the stand to address the judge during the hearing, saying the fatal attack was triggered by anger he felt during an argument with Stith, and was not premeditated. He and his attorney, Carrie Allman, noted his long record of service with the Army, and said Crawley’s young daughter was also a victim, since he is no longer able to care for her.

“There’s not a day that doesn’t go past that I regret the whole incident,” Crawley said. “I know my actions have caused a lot of hurt for a lot of people, and all I can say is I’m sorry.”

Branca wasn’t swayed.

“Whatever good deeds you may have done in your life, whatever the defense pulls out as good actions you’ve done in your life, are eviscerated by this heinous, horrible crime,” he said.

Stith’s family spoke during the hearing, saying her sons, 6 and 10, have struggled since losing their mother.

Their aunt, Kiyaa Moody, read a statement that the older boy, Noah, had prepared for court. Moody said the boy had talked about suicide in the aftermath of Stith’s murder, and still suffers from emotional outbursts when he sees or hears things that remind him of his mother.

“I don’t want to hold anger in my heart anymore,” Noah’s statement said. “I miss my mom so much, but God has a plan. I was mad at you and God at first, but now I know that Mommy’s job is done and God needed her more.”