Benjamin Sifrit

Case Overview

Benjamin Sifrit was convicted in 2003 for the death of Martha Crutchley and was acquitted of charges involving the death of Joshua Ford. He was sentenced to 38 years in prison on July 7, 2003, and was serving that sentence at the North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland.

Timeline

• 1997 — Benjamin Sifrit finished first in his elite SEALs training course.
• 1998 — Erika Grace and Benjamin Sifrit married.
• 2000 — Benjamin and Erika Sifrit opened and operated a scrapbook store in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
• May 25, 2002 — Benjamin Sifrit and Erika Sifrit met Joshua Ford and Martha Crutchley after partying together at the Seacrets nightclub; the killings occurred over Memorial Day weekend in Ocean City, Maryland.
• May 31, 2002 — Erika and Benjamin Sifrit were arrested after police caught the couple robbing a Hooters store.
• March 2003 — Benjamin Sifrit’s trial began in Rockville, Maryland.
• April 9, 2003 — Benjamin Sifrit was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the death of Martha Crutchley and was acquitted of all charges in the death of Joshua Ford.
• April 10, 2003 — A jury verdict was reported: Benjamin Sifrit was found guilty of murdering Martha Crutchley and found not guilty of murdering Joshua Ford; he was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the Crutchley case, and found not guilty of first-degree murder in either case.
• July 7, 2003 — Benjamin Sifrit was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
• August 14, 2003 — Erika Sifrit was sentenced to life plus 25 years.
• September 2, 2004 — The state’s highest court upheld the convictions of Erika and Benjamin Sifrit.
• July 2009 — A book titled "Cruel Death" was released about the case.
• August 2010 — Erika Sifrit’s divorce from Benjamin Sifrit was granted.
• 2010 — Benjamin Sifrit exhausted his last appeal.

Background

Benjamin Sifrit had enlisted in the Navy and finished first in his elite SEALs training course in 1997. Two years later, he married Erika Grace, who had been a student at Mary Washington College. The couple moved near Erika’s hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania, and opened and operated a scrapbook store.

Benjamin Sifrit had been described as a former Navy SEAL. He had been court-martialed for a variety of offenses, including absence without leave and insubordination, and he was drummed out of the service on a bad-conduct discharge. A Navy prosecutor characterized him as having developed "utter disregard for authority." Benjamin’s mother, Elizabeth, 47, said he changed after getting involved with Erika, including stopping calling and visiting.

Erika Grace and Benjamin Sifrit were married in 1998, when they were both 20 years old. She was an honors student and basketball star at Mary Washington College. The couple kept numerous exotic snakes, and Benjamin had a large swastika tattooed on his chest. Benjamin was described as a thrill seeker and as seeking different ways to continue to get that rush and living on the edge.

The offence

Victims

Joshua Ford, 32, and Martha "Geney" Crutchley, 51, were murdered over Memorial Day weekend in Ocean City, Maryland.

Events on May 25, 2002

Benjamin Sifrit and Erika Sifrit met Joshua Ford and Martha Crutchley after a night of partying together at the Seacrets nightclub. The couple went back to the Sifrit condo in Ocean City, Maryland.

After retreating to the bathroom, Joshua Ford was shot four times to death with BJ’s gun. Martha Crutchley was later stabbed to death. The couple’s remains were disposed of in a dumpster in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Police later reconstructed that Ford and Crutchley were on a local bus heading to the Seacrets nightclub on the evening of May 25 and encountered the Sifrits, who did not have exact change for the fare; Ford offered to pay for their tickets.

Claimed theft and allegations of a motive

According to records, the Sifrits claimed that Joshua and Martha stole Erika’s purse. The account described Benjamin pulling a gun on the couple after returning to the condo. A stated reference to a motive included Erika’s purse containing her grandmother’s $10,000 ring.

Disposal and mementos

Erika Sifrit collected items as mementos of the murders, according to court documents, and she described the Sifrits as thinking of themselves as "Bonnie and Clyde." She described numerous burglaries and selling stolen merchandise on the Internet bidding Web site, eBay. Court documents indicated that the Sifrits had planned a two-week burglary crime spree in Ocean City during Memorial Day weekend in 2002.

Investigation and arrests

Arrest related to a Hooters robbery

Erika and Benjamin Sifrit were arrested on May 31, 2002, but not for murder. The couple were caught robbing a Hooters store. Police searched Erika Sifrit’s purse and uncovered the licenses of Joshua and Martha, who had been reported missing for days. Erika confessed to murdering the couple shortly after her apprehension, claiming the idea was her husband’s.

Evidence locations and items mentioned

Police went back to the couple’s penthouse condo after the apprehension and investigators hoped to find Ford and Crutchley. Investigators uncovered traces of blood in the bathroom and plastic garbage bags. During Benjamin Sifrit’s trial, a jury requested to see two guns displayed by prosecutors: a .357-caliber revolver and a 9-millimeter automatic.

Trial

Venue changes due to publicity

Because of the heavy publicity of the case, the Sifrits’ trials were moved out of Worcester County, Maryland. Benjamin’s trial was held in Rockville, Maryland and Erika’s trial was held in Frederick.

Benjamin Sifrit trial

Benjamin Sifrit’s trial was held in Rockville, Maryland. At trial, Melissa Seling testified, claiming she had almost become the Sifrits’ next victim. She testified about the same ritual Joshua and Martha endured.

Benjamin Sifrit’s acquittal in the Joshua Ford death On April 9, 2003, Benjamin Sifrit was acquitted of all charges in the death of Joshua Ford.

Benjamin Sifrit’s conviction in the Martha Crutchley death On April 9, 2003, Benjamin Sifrit was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the death of Martha Crutchley.

A reported jury verdict included:

• Benjamin Sifrit was found guilty of murdering Martha Crutchley and found not guilty of murdering Joshua Ford.
• He was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the Crutchley case.
• In the Ford case, he was found not guilty of all charges except accessory after the fact (as reported).
• He was found not guilty of first-degree murder in either case.

Jury deliberations and statements

The verdict was reached after over 10 hours of deliberations, including a working lunch for a jury of seven women and five men. Jurors deliberated about four hours on Tuesday before returning to work Wednesday morning and deliberations continued for more than 10 hours after a working lunch.

Jury foreman Robert Cantor explained that the panel could not determine beyond a reasonable doubt that Benjamin Sifrit had actually been the one who killed Ford.

Sentencing

Benjamin Sifrit was sentenced to 38 years in prison on July 7, 2003.

Appeals and outcomes

All of both Sifrits’ appeals failed. Benjamin Sifrit exhausted his last appeal in 2010.

In September 2004, the state’s highest court upheld the convictions of Erika and Benjamin Sifrit, both found guilty in the murders of Joshua Ford and Martha Crutchley.

Aftermath

Divorce and parole eligibility statements

In March 2010, BJ filed for divorce, which was later granted in August 2010. Benjamin Sifrit was described as eligible for parole in 2021. Erika Sifrit was described as eligible for parole in 2024. Erika Sifrit was described as asking a federal court for a new trial, claiming ineffectiveness of counsel.

Other profiling and related publications

A book entitled "Cruel Death," written by M. William Phelps, was released in July 2009 about the case.

Other details

Quotes

Lead detective Scott Bernal said: "It was about the thrill and the success of not getting caught," referring to Benjamin, and added: "Everything about it was a game."

Detective Scott Bernal said of the planned attack: "Melissa didn't ask any questions—she just knew that if she did she was going to get hurt," and: "It didn't go that way with Josh and Geney."

Ocean City Detective Scott Bernal said of the post-verdict characterization of the killings: "One's a match and one is a stick of dynamite, and when you put them together it was a bomb waiting to happen,"

Worcester County State’s Attorney Joel Todd said: "It seems clear they found she aided and abetted, and that's what made her guilty of murder," and: "I'm gratified we were effectively able to speak for the victims in this case."

Worcester County victim witness coordinator Vyoletus Candelario said: "I didn't see the evidence that way, but I guess they did," and said of Ford’s reaction over the phone: "Ford 'was euphoric, ecstatic. How many ways can you say happy?'"

Ford’s sister Melisa said: "She was crazy about Josh, and he was crazy about her."

Benjamin Sifrit told the trial: "I dismembered them," and "That was my idea."

Benjamin Sifrit explained his relationship change at trial: "I just wanted to make [Erika] happy," and "It was extreme."

Erika’s statements to investigators and court documents (as described in the case narrative)

Erika Sifrit portrayed her husband as a racist, a bigot and a control freak who was mentally and physically abusive. Court documents included a statement that the only compliment Benjamin ever gave Erika was that "she was a cool wife for going to strip clubs with him."

Erika Sifrit told investigators that he wanted her to become pregnant; after she terminated the pregnancy, Benjamin Sifrit told her: "I never wanted a kid, I just wanted to see how far you would go for me," and Erika recounted Benjamin’s order to "get an abortion or I'm going to dig it out of you,".

Erika Sifrit described an order to get naked and said Benjamin asked: "Do you want to die?"

Erika Sifrit said she ordered her husband to shoot the couple and recounted that he wanted to kill her parents, both sets of grandparents and a wealthy aunt, and she would be the sole air to their money, and they would meet in Argentina.

Erika Sifrit described that Benjamin wanted her to get a tattoo of a snake in the same location where she cut Crutchley.

Theft and ring dispute

The prosecutor Joel Todd accused Erika Sifrit’s attorneys of spitefully refusing to allow a ring belonging to Joshua Ford to be returned to his family. Todd said Sifrit stole the ring after Ford’s death and wore it on a chain around her neck as a trophy and said: "That was a sham," and: "They didn't want me to have that back. That was the last possession [Ford] had before he died."

Guns and claims about disposal

Benjamin Sifrit admitted disposing of the bodies while claiming his wife did the killing while he slept off a night of drinking.