A Wichita man who pleaded no contest to a double homicide from 2023 has told a judge he now wants to withdraw that plea.
A motion was filed by 63-year-old Charles Crawford to withdraw a plea he made in December to two counts of first degree murder, and he is also asking for new defense counsel. The judge appointed new attorneys for Crawford and scheduled a status hearing for February 26th.
Crawford was arrested for the July, 2023 shooting deaths of his estranged wife, 50-year-old Vanessa Crawford, and her boyfriend, 58-year-old Donald Eckert. They were found at a home near 11th and Woodrow in the Riverside neighborhood where Vanessa Crawford was operating a day care service. Officers saw Charles Crawford in the area with a gun and he was making suicidal statements. He was arrested after a two-hour standoff.
