Erika and Benjamin Sifrit
Erika Elaine Sifrit (née Grace; born February 3, 1978) and Benjamin Adam "BJ" Sifrit (born October 21, 1977) are an American couple convicted of murdering two tourists, Joshua Edward Ford and Martha Margene "Geney" Crutchley, in Ocean City, Maryland, in 2002. The case drew substantial media attention. In 2003, both Sifrits were convicted in the murders.
Erika Sifrit | |
|---|---|
| Born | Erika Elaine Grace February 3, 1978 |
| Nationality | American |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated at Maryland Correctional Institution for Women |
| Spouse(s) | Benjamin Sifrit
(m. 1998; div. 2010) |
| Criminal charge | First-degree murder, second-degree murder |
| Penalty | Life plus 20 years |
| Details | |
| Victims | 2 |
| Date | May 25, 2002 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Maryland |
| Killed | Joshua Ford Martha "Geney" Crutchley |
Date apprehended | May 31, 2002 |
Benjamin Sifrit | |
|---|---|
| Born | Benjamin Adam Sifrit October 21, 1977 Estherville, Iowa, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | B. J. Sifrit |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated at Roxbury Correctional Institution |
| Spouse(s) | Erika Sifrit
(m. 1998; div. 2010) |
| Criminal charge | Second-degree murder, first-degree assault |
| Penalty | 38 years |
| Details | |
| Victims | 1 |
| Date | May 25, 2002 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Maryland |
| Killed | Martha "Geney" Crutchley |
Date apprehended | May 31, 2002 |
Benjamin Sifrit is currently serving 38 years at the Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Maryland, while Erika is serving a life sentence plus 20 years at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup.[1][2] Married in 1998, the Sifrits divorced in 2010.[3]
Early lives
Erika Elaine Grace was born in Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, to Charlotte Gail "Cookie" (née Klotz) and Gerald Mitchell Grace. Benjamin Adam "BJ" Sifrit was born in Estherville, Iowa, to Elizabeth Ann "Buffie" (née Graves) and Craig Arthur Sifrit. Erika and Benjamin married in 1998, when they were both 20 years old. She was an honors student and basketball star at Mary Washington College. Benjamin completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training class 212 in 1997 but never received the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 Combatant Swimmer (SEAL) designation or qualified as a Navy SEAL before he received a bad conduct discharge for repeatedly being absent without leave, insubordination, poor performance and wearing unauthorized insignia. Shortly after marrying, the Sifrits moved near Erika's hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania. There, they opened and operated a scrapbook store.[4]
Murders
On May 25, 2002, the Sifrits, both 24 at the time, met another couple, Joshua Ford and Martha Crutchley, a vacationing couple from Fairfax, Virginia. After a night of partying together at the Seacrets nightclub in Ocean City, Maryland, the two couples went back to the Sifrits' condominium located in The Rainbow on 112th Street. According to records, the Sifrits claimed that Ford and Crutchley stole Erika's purse, and Benjamin pulled a gun on the couple. After retreating to the bathroom, Ford was fatally shot four times with Erika's gun. Crutchley was also killed; investigators believe that she was stabbed, but the official cause of death could not be determined from her remains. The bodies were then dismembered and disposed of in a grocery store dumpster in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The remains were transferred to a nearby landfill, where they were recovered by searchers nine days later.[4]
Arrests and trials
The Sifrits were arrested on May 31, 2002, but not for the murders: they were caught burglarizing a Hooters restaurant. When police searched Erika's purse, they uncovered the drivers' licenses of Ford and Crutchley, who at that point had been reported missing for days. Erika confessed to murdering the couple shortly after her apprehension, but claimed the idea was her husband's.[4]
Because of the heavy publicity of the case, the Sifrits' trials were moved out of Worcester County, Maryland. Benjamin's trial was held in Rockville, and Erika's was held in Frederick.[5] At Benjamin's 2003 trial, a 22-year-old woman named Melissa Seling testified that she was subjected to the same ritual that Joshua and Martha endured, although she was able to avoid being killed.[4] On April 9, 2003, Benjamin was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the death of Crutchley, and was acquitted of all charges in the death of Joshua Ford.[5] He was later sentenced to thirty-eight years in prison.[6][7] Erika's trial started shortly afterwards, on June 3, 2003.[8] On June 11, she was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Ford and second-degree murder in the death of Crutchley, and was later sentenced to life imprisonment plus twenty years.[6][7]
Aftermath
In March 2010, Benjamin filed for divorce, which was granted in August 2010.[3]
Both Sifrits have filed numerous appeals, all of which have failed. Benjamin exhausted his last appeal in 2010.[9] He will be eligible for parole in 2021. Erika's appeal, citing ineffectiveness of counsel,[10] was denied in 2014.[11] She will be eligible for parole in 2024.
In popular culture
The Sifrit case has been profiled on American Justice, Deadly Women, Forensic Files, Sins and Secrets, Deadly Sins, Killer Couples, Snapped and True Crime Daily.
In July 2009, a book entitled Cruel Death, written by M. William Phelps, was released about the case.[12]
Former Navy SEAL Andy Stumpf has repeatedly mentioned on his podcast Cleared Hot that BJ Sifrit was the honor graduate from their BUD/S class.[13]
References
- "Maryland DOC Inmate Locator". dpscs.state.md.us.
- "Maryland DOC Inmate Locator". dpscs.state.md.us.
- Neil Augenstein (August 12, 2010). "Court officer changes mind, OKs Sifrit divorce". Retrieved June 1, 2011.
- Bill Hewitt (June 9, 2003). "Thrill Killers?". Retrieved June 1, 2011.
- "Jury Reaches Verdict in Sifrit Case". April 10, 2003. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
- Jeff Barker (June 11, 2003). "Erika Sifrit is found guilty in Ocean City double-killing". Retrieved June 1, 2011.
- "Erika Sifrit Describes O.C. Tourist Murders". September 2, 2004. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
- "Double Murder Trial Begins for Erika Sifrit". June 3, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
- Steve Lash (2010). "B. Sifrit shifts attack on murder conviction from state court in Md". The Daily Record. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
- Neal Augenstein (April 1, 2012). "Erika Sifrit cites lawyer failure, seeks new trial". Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- DispatchAdmin (October 16, 2014). "Fed Judge Denies Erika Sifrit Appeal; Decision Likely Exhausts Challenges". The Dispatch. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
- Nancy Powell (July 10, 2009). "Story of infamous '02 resort murder now told in book". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
- Cleared Hot Episode 93 - Jack Carr