In a tragic turn of events stemming from domestic turmoil, 53-year-old Diane Pulley Crowder, a White female, lost her life on July 2, 2022, in Henrico, Virginia. Known affectionately as 'Cissy' to her family, she was a dedicated mother and a long-time hairdresser and personal caregiver. On that fateful day, she had made the brave decision to leave an abusive situation, enlisting the help of movers to vacate the home she shared with her husband.
As Diane and her 35-year-old daughter,
Carrie Lynn Szaksz, were preparing to depart, the situation escalated with devastating consequences. Diane's husband, Richard Colon Crowder, a 60-year-old retired Henrico County police officer, opened fire on both women, fatally wounding them. The movers, who were upstairs at the time, heard the gunshots and managed to escape by jumping from a second-story window.
Following the shooting, Richard Crowder barricaded himself inside the residence, leading to a tense nine-hour standoff with law enforcement. Negotiators were eventually successful in persuading him to surrender, and he was taken into custody. Inside the home, police discovered the bodies of Diane and her daughter.
Richard Crowder was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his wife and stepdaughter, as well as two counts of attempted aggravated murder of a law enforcement officer for firing at his former colleagues who responded to the scene. In February, he pleaded guilty to the two murder charges and entered an Alford plea for the charges of attempted murder. An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution has enough evidence for a conviction. Ultimately, a Henrico County Circuit Court judge sentenced Richard Crowder to a total of 150 years in prison for his crimes.
