Ex-police chief slapped with 8 life sentences for torching the homes of his 'enemies'

A former police chief in Maryland has received eight life sentences, plus an additional 75 years, for setting a series of fires against his perceived enemies, Law & Crimereported on Wednesday.

"Circuit Court Judge Richard S. Bernhardt on Tuesday ordered serial arsonist David Crawford to serve eight life sentences plus an additional 75 years in state prison for the fires, which were set in multiple counties across the state over the course of nearly a decade, authorities announced," reported Jerry Lambe. "Though no one was killed in any of the fires set by Crawford, many — including young children — were forced to flee their homes in the middle of the night to avoid the flames and lost nearly all of their personal possessions."

"In total, Crawford is accused of intentionally starting 12 fires in six counties that targeted a former City of Laurel official, three former law enforcement officials, including a former City of Laurel Police Chief, two relatives, two of Crawford’s chiropractors, and a resident in his neighborhood," said the report. "'Investigators linked multiple cases following a 2020 fire when they discovered Crawford had previous disagreements with multiple victims,' the release states. 'In January 2021, a search of Crawford’s residence found several pieces of evidence, including a list of targets that were known victims.'"

Crawford used gasoline as an accelerant to start the fires, which helped investigators pinpoint him as the cause of each.

“The horror and nature of arson is so deeply powerful in its impact and complete in its destruction in the victim’s peace of mind that it is only fitting the defendant spend the rest of his natural life behind bars,” said State’s Attorney Richard Gibson.

Arson is often treated as one of the most serious crimes on the books, due to the damage it causes to communities and the risk of death and mutilation of victims — and the motives can be complicated. In May, Florida investigators discovered that a pair of house fires staged to look like anti-Hispanic hate crimes were actually committed by a debt-ridden developer for a fraudulent insurance payout.