The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office raised the stakes
significantly Wednesday for Jesse Crow, the Prunedale man accused
of murdering his 23-year-old wife in January. Although authorities
are still searching for Ryann Bunnell Crow, Assistant District
Attorney Stephanie Hulsey added a special circumstance to the
homicide charge against Jesse Crow, alleging the murder was
intentional and was carried out for financial gain.
By Dennis Taylor
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office raised the stakes significantly Wednesday for Jesse Crow, the Prunedale man accused of murdering his 23-year-old wife in January.
Although authorities are still searching for Ryann Bunnell Crow, Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Hulsey added a special circumstance to the homicide charge against Jesse Crow, alleging the murder was intentional and was carried out for financial gain.
If a jury determines that Crow is guilty of the special circumstance, he would be eligible for two possible sentences: life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty. Before the enhancement, he was potentially facing a maximum sentence of about 40 years to life, Hulsey said.
Crow entered a not guilty plea to the special circumstance through his attorney at Wednesday’s hearing. He is scheduled to return to court May 14 for a pretrial hearing.
There is one other death penalty case pending in Monterey County – that of Jacobo Ruelas, who is charged alongside his younger brother with the 1997 murder of 17-year-old Kristopher Olinger on the Pacific Grove Recreation Trail.
Ryann Crow was last seen driving her car Jan. 30 near Jesse Crow’s parents’ home on Langley Canyon Road in Prunedale. 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. Jesse Crow was arrested and charged with her murder on Feb. 16.
District Attorney Dean Flippo “will make the decision whether to proceed with the death penalty prosecution after the preliminary hearing. That decision has not yet been made as to whether he will elect to exercise his discretion,” Hulsey said. “But today’s enhancement is what qualifies the defendant for the death penalty as a matter of law.”
Hulsey said the amended complaint was the result of additional evidence that has been presented to the District Attorney’s Office. She said Flippo has determined the evidence supports the enhancement.
During a search of Crow’s home, police allegedly discovered an indoor marijuana-growing operation and seized more than 300 plants, plus 5 pounds of dried marijuana.
Police have said they have blood and DNA evidence supporting their conclusion that Crow killed his wife, though they have not disclosed where the evidence was found.
Crow originally was represented by Thomas Worthington, who stepped aside April 9, citing an unspecified conflict. He was represented Wednesday by James Egar, the head of the Monterey County Public Defender’s Office.
“The special circumstance increases the stakes significantly, and I haven’t gotten through all of the discovery yet, but I’d be taking the case just as seriously whether or not those allegations had been filed,” Egar said. “We’ve entered a plea of not guilty. I’m reviewing the evidence, I’ll be speaking with my client, and we’ll be back in a couple of weeks.”
The enhanced charge is “not necessarily the result of one piece of information,” Hulsey said. “We have to make sure we can prove any allegation or charge beyond a reasonable doubt, so it’s really a fluid process. We have had information, and we’ve been able to support the additional charges as we’ve built on that information.”
Hulsey said Ryann Crow’s family is “encouraged by the developments of the investigation,” and said the search for her continues.
