Hickory Man Gets life In Prison For Murder

A Catawba County jury found a Hickory man guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Iris Ranae Robinson, on Thursday (May 22), bringing a trial of nearly two weeks to an end. The jury needed a little more than an hour to return a guilty verdict for 64-year-old Jessie Allen Crawford in the June 2021 shooting death of 51-year-old Robinson.

The Honorable Karen-Eady-Williams, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, sentenced Crawford to life without parole after the jury rendered its verdict in Catawba County Superior Court.

The trial began with jury selection on Monday, May 12, followed by opening statements from the State and defense. Following evidence presentation from both sides – including testimony from the defendant – closing arguments took place Thursday before the case went to the jury for deliberation.

Officers with Newton Police Department responded to a report of shots fired at a residence on June 5, 2021, to find the victim lying in the yard with gunshot wounds to her upper body area. Witness accounts indicated that the defendant came to the property while Robinson and others were setting up for a cookout and assaulted her. After they were separated, Crawford went to his car, retrieved a gun and started pointing it at the people on the property. He left in his car but returned a short while later, got out and shot four times, striking Robinson with multiple rounds.

Autopsy reports showed that Robinson died of fatal wounds to the torso and abdomen from shots fired from a .45-caliber handgun. Testimony in the case revealed the volatility of the relationship between Crawford and Robinson, highlighting physical abuse he inflicted upon her before taking her life.