Prosecutors filed new charges Friday against a Prunedale man
suspected of murdering his wife, who remains missing.
Virginia Hennessey
Prosecutors filed new charges Friday against a Prunedale man suspected of murdering his wife, who remains missing.
In addition to murder with a firearm, marijuana cultivation and being a felon in possession of a weapon, Jesse Crow is now accused of trying to get two unnamed witnesses to lie on his behalf.
Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Hulsey filed the second amended complaint in open court, alleging two counts of attempted solicitation of perjury. The move came moments after Crow’s defense attorney, Tom Worthington, announced he was withdrawing from the case because of an unspecified conflict. While it is known that Worthington and Hulsey met behind closed doors with Judge Russell Scott on Thursday afternoon, such legal conflicts aren’t publicly disclosed.
Crow was scheduled to appear Friday for arraignment on the first amended complaint which added marijuana cultivation and illegal weapons possession allegations to his murder charge. He is accused of using a firearm to kill his wife.
Ryann Bunnell Crow, 23, was last seen driving her car near Crow’s parents’ Langley Canyon Road home in Prunedale on Jan. 30. Her family reported her missing Feb. 2 after she missed two days of work and her father’s birthday party.
Her car was found in a Foster City neighborhood Feb. 9, but she has not been located. Her husband was arrested and charged with her murder Feb. 16.
During a Feb. 2 search of his home, police allegedly discovered an indoor marijuana
growing operation, seizing more than 300 plants and 5 pounds of dried pot.
Police have said they have blood and DNA evidence supporting their conclusion Crow killed his wife, though they have not disclosed where they found the evidence. And District Attorney Dean Flippo said he has reviewed “persuasive evidence” of a motive.
On Friday, Judge Scott relieved Worthington from the case and appointed the Monterey County Public Defender’s Office to represent Crow. Deputy Public Defender Joy McMurtry pleaded not guilty to all of the charges on Crow’s behalf. Scott will schedule a preliminary hearing at Crow’s next appearance, April 28.
Outside of court, Hulsey was asked to explain the distinction between attempted solicitation and solicitation of perjury. Declining to speak on the facts of the case, she said, hypothetically, that a person could attempt to transmit a communication to another person but fail to reach that person.
She said her office and local law enforcement continue to investigate and search for Ryann Crow’s remains.
“We will continue to investigate until we can bring the victim home to her family … so that she can be put to rest,” she said.
