To avoid the death penalty, a Georgia man accused of abusing and murdering his children pleaded guilty. Elwyn Crocker Sr. is accused of confining his children to dog crates and burying their bodies in trash bags in his yard, and was hit with a slew of violent charges.

Life Sentence Without Parole

Instead of the death penalty, Crocker is being sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, another life sentence, and an additional 40 years for 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.

The district attorney’s office is not pleased with this outcome. Robert Busbee of the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit said in a news conference on Monday, April 27, “This is certainly not justice. And frankly, based on the facts of this case, the death penalty would not have been justice.”

“What these children went through, there is no punishment available under the law that would be justice in this case.”

Children’s Remains Found

The remains of 14-year-old Elwyn “JR” Crocker Jr. and 13-year-old Mary Crocker were found buried on the family’s property in December 2018. Investigators estimate that they had been there for approximately two months before they were found.

Multiple parties were charged with these brutal and senseless murders, including Crocker Sr.’s wife and the children’s stepmother, Candice Crocker. Candice’s brother, Mark Wright, her mother, Kim Wright, and her mother’s boyfriend, Roy Prater, were also charged in connection. 

Prater was the prosecution’s key witness, according to Busbee’s conference with reporters on Monday. He said the man incriminated his codefendants during the hours-long interview with law enforcement, and described the alleged events that happened in the family’s home.

However, Prater passed in February of this year, and Busbee explained that “His passing means all that evidence that he was going to provide for us is now gone.” The police interviews conducted would have been inadmissible in court because of the defense’s right to cross-examine the accuser. 

Evidence Shows Brutality

According to prosecutors, the evidence in the case shows that the family systematically starved the children while supplying plenty of food for themselves. Mary was confined to a small dog kennel for up to 24 hours at a time, often without any clothes on. In her final days, she was too weak to stand, so they duct-taped her to a pool ladder.

Co-Defendants Sentenced

Mark Wright, Kimberly Wright, Candace Crocker, and Roy Prater all pleaded guilty to the charges and avoided the death penalty as well. Mark was sentenced to 80 years in prison, while his mother was sentenced to life. Crocker Sr.’s wife was sentenced to life as well without the possibility of parole, and Prater was awaiting his sentence when he died.

This is an emotional case, one that is incomprehensible. “It’s a relief that it’s over, but it’s certainly mixed feelings,” Busbee said. “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.”

Death Penalty Avoided

Crocker Sr. cowardly avoided the death penalty, and while this is not the justice some wanted, it is still justice. All of those involved in these children’s tragic deaths will face punishment of some kind, whether it be in the prison system or afterward. 

However, I am one who believes criminals should face retributive justice, which means they face punishment similar to the harm they inflicted on others. Offenders in certain situations deserve to suffer the way those suffered at their hands, and that can be controversial. 

In a weird, coincidental way, Crocker Sr. will face retributive justice by being locked in a cell, but unfortunately, it will never match up to the level of cruelty he inflicted on his children. It may not be the death penalty, but it is something.