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Mickey Crater

Case from Sun City, AZ dated Jun 19, 2025

Victim Details

Mickey Crater

Female

White / Caucasian

Sun City

AZ

2025-06-19

91

Mickey

Crater

06/30/2026

Case Description

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In a tragic case of mistaken identity, 91-year-old Mickey Pearl Crater was shot and killed in her Sun City, Arizona, vacation home on June 19, 2025. The horrifying incident unfolded when her next-door neighbor, 71-year-old Gary M. Mertz, saw lights on in the Crater residence and, believing them to be intruders, armed himself and entered the house.

Inside, Mertz confronted Mickey's son, DeWayne Crater, who was 65 at the time. Despite DeWayne's attempts to explain that it was his mother's h ...
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Links to Additional Sources (11)

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  • 12news.com: 2 dead, 1 injured after shooting in Sun City, MCSO says
  • FOX 10 Phoenix: 2 dead, 1 hurt in apparent Sun City murder-suicide: MCSO
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    Forum Posts (2)

    I’ve been following the Mickey Crater case, and something that's been really weighing on me is the... ...Read More
    06/24/2025
    Has anyone looked into the history of that house? It's unsettling to hear there was another homicide... ...Read More
    06/21/2025
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