SPRINGFIELD, Ga. (Court TV) — A Georgia man accused of brutally abusing his children, confining them to dog crates and burying their bodies in trash bags in his yard pleaded guilty to multiple charges, avoiding a potential death sentence.
Elwyn Crocker was sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including malice murder. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Elwyn Crocker Sr. pleaded guilty to two counts of malice murder, aggravated sexual battery, four counts of cruelty to children, two counts of concealing the death of another and two counts of false imprisonment; he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, another life sentence and an additional 40 years, to be served consecutively.
“This is certainly not justice. And frankly, based on the facts of this case, the death penalty would not have been justice,” District Attorney for the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit Robert Busbee said in a news conference on Monday. “What these children went through, there is no punishment available under the law that would be justice in this case.”
The remains of Elwyn Crocker Sr.’s children, Elwyn “JR” Crocker Jr., 14, and Mary Crocker, 13, were found buried on the family’s property in December 2018. Investigators estimated the children had been in the ground for approximately two months before they were found.
Elwyn Crocker Sr. was charged alongside Candice Crocker, his wife and the children’s stepmother, Mark Wright, Candice Crocker’s brother, Kim Wright, Candice Crocker’s mother, and Kim Wright’s boyfriend, Roy Prater. Prater was a key witness for the prosecution, Busbee explained to reporters on Monday. He had spoken to law enforcement for hours, incriminating his codefendants and describing what had allegedly happened inside the family’s home. Prater passed away in February, Busbee explained. “His passing means all that evidence that he was going to provide for us is now gone,” he said. Prater had only been interviewed by police; those interviews would be inadmissible in court now because of the defendant’s right to cross-examine his accuser.
A photo of JR and Mary Crocker was shown in court during Mark Wright’s sentencing. (Court TV)
Prosecutors said that evidence showed the family systematically starved the teens while keeping plenty of food for themselves. Mary was kept in a small dog kennel for up to 24 hours at a time, prosecutors said. She was often naked, and in her final days became so weak that she was duct-taped to a pool ladder when she could no longer stand.
Mark Wright, Kimberly Wright, Candace Crocker and Roy Prater all previously pleaded guilty in the case. Wright was sentenced to 80 years in prison. Kimberly Wright and Candace Crocker were sentenced to life in prison without parole. Prater was awaiting sentencing when he died.
“It’s a relief that it’s over, but it’s certainly mixed feelings,” Busbee told reporters. “I was very driven to get the maximum sentence in this case and it was disappointing that it ended up being life instead. But yeah, it’s a relief, I think, that the case is closed.
