Overview
- Elwyn John Crocker Sr., who pleaded guilty Monday, received life in prison without parole, the district attorney said.
- The plea ends the state’s pursuit of the death penalty in this case and avoids years of automatic appeals required in capital prosecutions.
- DA Robert Busbee said a key witness, Roy Prater, died in February and two other witnesses are no longer available.
- The office cited the case’s complexity, COVID-19 court pauses, and the departure of two prosecutors as causes of delay that weakened witness evidence.
- Deputies found the bodies of Elwyn Jr. and Mary Frances, both 14, buried behind the family’s Guyton home in December 2018, and several other family members have already been sentenced.