Casonya Crawford, a 14-year-old African American girl, was murdered on May 4, 2006, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was one of the victims of Anthony Kirkland, a convicted serial killer who preyed on women and young girls in the Cincinnati area. Kirkland, who had previously served time for the 1987 murder of his girlfriend, was paroled in 2004 and went on to commit multiple murders between 2006 and 2009.
On the night of her murder, Casonya had snuck out of her grandmother’s house in Avondale
when she encountered Kirkland. According to his later confession, he offered her money for sex, first $20 and then $60, but she refused. Enraged by her rejection, Kirkland attacked her, grabbing her as she attempted to resist. He ultimately choked her to death. In an effort to conceal evidence of his crimes, Kirkland burned her body, a pattern he repeated with his other victims.
Kirkland was arrested in 2009 after the murder of 13-year-old Esme Kenney, another young girl whose body he burned. During an extensive police interview, Kirkland admitted to killing Casonya Crawford, along with three other victims: Mary Jo Newton, Kimya Rolison, and Esme Kenney. His trial took place in 2010, where he pleaded guilty to the murders of Newton and Rolison. However, he stood trial for the killings of Casonya and Esme, and a jury found him guilty of aggravated murder. He was sentenced to death.
In 2014, the Ohio Supreme Court overturned Kirkland’s death sentence, citing procedural errors. However, a new sentencing hearing was held in 2018, where a jury once again recommended the death penalty. The judge upheld the sentence, and Kirkland remains incarcerated at the Ohio State Penitentiary. His crimes, particularly the murder of young girls like Casonya Crawford, remain a tragic reminder of the dangers posed by repeat offenders.
