In a tragic sequence of events fueled by street revenge, 17-year-old Laval Crawford Jr. was fatally shot outside his Pontiac, Michigan, home on September 13, 2008. The brazen attack was orchestrated in retaliation for a robbery Crawford had allegedly committed earlier that day against one of the assailants.
The events leading to the shooting began when a group of armed men, later identified as brothers Bryan Valentin-Cintron and Jean Cintron, along with brothers Diego and Raul Galvan,
forced their way into Crawford's townhouse. Holding his girlfriend at gunpoint, they coerced her into calling Crawford and telling him to come home. When Crawford arrived, the men chased him down the driveway and shot him multiple times. One of the attackers reportedly walked up to Crawford as he was crawling on the grass and shot him again at close range.
The investigation that followed led to the arrest of the four individuals. They were charged with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree home invasion, and multiple felony firearms charges. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that the murder was a direct response to Crawford allegedly robbing the 17-year-old Jean Cintron earlier on the day of the shooting.
The trial concluded with guilty verdicts for three of the four defendants. Bryan Valentin-Cintron was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree murder, among other charges. Diego Galvan and Jean Cintron were also convicted of second-degree murder and other related charges. Bryan Valentin-Cintron, Diego Galvan, and Jean Cintron were all sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The fourth suspect, Raul Galvan, was acquitted of the most serious charges, including murder, but was found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon.
