Georgia Resident Who Traveled To Hillsborough County To Kill His Ex-Girlfriend And Her Dog Indicted

Tampa, Florida-United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg the announces the indictment of Timothy Crawford (52, Georgia) for interstate domestic violence, discharge of a firearm during and in the commission of a crime of violence, and interstate stalking. If convicted, Crawford faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to the criminal complaint and indictment, in the early morning hours of December 7, 2023, Crawford left Atlanta, Georgia and began driving towards the home of his ex-girlfriend (M.B.) in Odessa, Florida. At approximately 8:00 p.m. that evening, Crawford broke into M.B.'s residence armed with a pistol and stun-gun and waited for her to return home. When M.B. arrived, Crawford punched, kicked and electrically stunned M.B. numerous times, while telling her that he was going to kill her and her children. M.B. defended herself with a dumbbell, and ultimately escaped the residence. Before departing, Crawford shot and killed M.B.'s dog, an eight-pound Maltese.

A neighbor who heard M.B.'s screams called 911, and responding Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies immediately took Crawford into custody. Inside of the house, deputies discovered an H&K USP .40-caliber pistol on the dining room table, and observed blood all over the house, including in the garage, laundry room, bedroom, and front entry area. M.B. sustained severe injuries from the attack, including extensive bruising to her body, neck, and face, stun-gun burns, a fractured left orbital bone, nose, ring finger/hand, and a laceration to her head requiring stiches.

Crawford admitted to breaking into the victim's house, using a taser on her, punching her in the face, and killing her dog. Search warrants executed on Crawford's phone revealed that prior to the attack, Crawford searched on his phone, "do you get the death penalty if you kill a woman."

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.