In the summer of 2015, a young man’s life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence that began with a deceptive offer of quick money. Aaron Crawford, an 18-year-old male from North Little Rock, Arkansas, agreed to give an acquaintance, 19-year-old Xavier Pree, a ride from Jacksonville to Little Rock for a promised payment of $300. This agreement, however, was a fatal setup orchestrated by Pree with the intent to rob Crawford of his vehicle.
On July 9, 2015, the
arrangement turned deadly. While in Crawford's red 2006 Dodge Magnum, Pree directed him to a U.S. Bank parking lot at 1 Riverfront Place in North Little Rock. There, instead of a simple transaction, Pree shot Crawford multiple times. Despite his severe injuries, Crawford managed to crawl out of his car and across the street, where witnesses found him and called for help. Before losing consciousness, he was able to tell the police that he had been shot and his car had been stolen.
The subsequent investigation swiftly led to Xavier Pree. Authorities located Crawford’s stolen Dodge Magnum in Jacksonville, not far from Pree’s residence. After observing Pree and two women entering the vehicle, police moved in and arrested him. The evidence against Pree was substantial; a search of Crawford's phone revealed their communications, including a map with directions from Pree's home to the bank where the shooting occurred.
Xavier Pree was charged with capital murder, aggravated robbery, and theft. During his trial, it was revealed that Pree had admitted to the shooting in an unrecorded statement to detectives, citing nervousness over a Facebook post Crawford had made about another shooting. In 2017, a jury found Pree guilty on all counts, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His attempts to appeal the conviction were ultimately unsuccessful.
