Six shots add up to first degree

Kim Smith

Thursday, Aug. 29, 2002 | 9:05 a.m.

Jurors took just 70 minutes Wednesday to reject a Pahrump man's claim that he shot his girlfriend to death in the heat of the moment and convicted him of first-degree murder.

The jury was scheduled today to begin hearing testimony in the punishment phase of the David Crawford trial. He could receive a life sentence with or without the possibility of parole.

"We were obviously disappointed in the verdict, but he took a gun and he shot her six times, and at the end of the day it's hard to get around that fact," Deputy Public Defender Scott Coffee said.

"There were a lot of emotions and psychological factors that went into that, and a lot of history, but still he did kill her."

Coffee said that during the penalty phase he will focus on Crawford's lack of criminal history.

Prosecutors declined to comment on the verdict, citing the pending penalty phase.

Crawford, 35, was accused of emptying his .38 caliber revolver into Gloria Dugan on March 24, 1997.

Prosecutors Marc DiGiacomo and Giancarlo Pesci told jurors that Crawford killed Dugan because she refused to break up with her fiance for him. They argued Wednesday for the first-degree murder conviction.

Coffee tried to convince jurors that Crawford was so upset on the night of the slaying that he acted impulsively. He said Crawford did not act willfully, deliberately and with premeditation -- the three elements necessary for a first-degree murder conviction.

DiGiacomo reminded jurors that while Crawford testified he could not remember pulling the trigger six times, he did remember he never cocked the hammer.

"He can remember that fact because it helps him get away from first-degree murder," DiGiacomo said.

To remember cocking the hammer would mean Crawford was capable of acting deliberately and with premeditation, DiGiacomo said.

Coffee said it was impossible in a five-day trial to define Crawford and Dugan's relationship. Still, it is clear Crawford adored Dugan and Dugan held all of the power in the tumultuous relationship, he said.

On the night of the slaying, Crawford went to Dugan hoping she would finally resolve their relationship one way or the other, Coffee said. In the middle of the discussion, he went over the edge.

"David Crawford was a weak man. There's no question about that. He was a fragile man. There's no question about that and the fact he is a man who has been dominated by women most of his life," Coffee said. "But he's not a cold, calculated murderer."

Pesci, in the state's final closing argument, reminded jurors that Crawford told a former girlfriend that night Dugan had told him not to come to her home.

"He already got his answer ... It was 'No! Don't come over,' " Pesci said.

Repeating a refrain from his opening argument last week, Pesci told the jury the case is about simple math. Six shots equals one case of first-degree murder.

"His attorney has tried to portray Mr. Crawford as a guy who couldn't stand up for himself. Ladies and gentlemen, he stood up six times," Pesci said. "It's simple math. It's first-degree murder."