Massachusetts man found guilty in 2020 shooting that killed two people in commuter lot near CT mall
A Springfield, Massachusetts man was found guilty Wednesday in the 2020 fatal shootings of a man and a woman in a commuter lot near a mall in Manchester.
A Superior Court jury found 24-year-old Gregory Crichlow guilty of two counts of murder and one count of murder with special circumstances in connection with the 2020 deaths of 24-year-old Gregory Scott, Jr., and 20-year-old Jennifer Hicks, both of Massachusetts, according to a statement from Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott.
On Aug. 2, 2020, two 911 calls reported a shooting around 2 a.m. at a commuter lot near The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, known then as the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester. When Connecticut State Police troopers arrived at the scene, they determined that there had been a gathering of about 100 vehicles in the parking lot to attend illegal car “races” in the area, court records said.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, a witness who was in the same Jeep Wrangler as Scott and Hicks told state police detectives she saw a pickup truck pull in, a man walk up to Scott and then open fire at Scott and Hicks through the driver’s side window.
Both Scott and Hicks died in the days following the shooting, according to previous reports.
Court testimony showed that the witness had seen the truck at a gas station earlier that day. Investigators obtained video footage from that gas station and linked it to Crichlow, court records said.
Another witness showed investigators a Facebook page they believed belonged to the shooter, according to the warrant affidavit. The man in the profile picture matched the description of Crichlow provided by the first witness, the warrant affidavit said
According to court records, state police detectives learned of an alleged feud between Crichlow, a member of the Knox Street gang in Springfield, and Scott, who was allegedly associated with the Sycamore Street posse.
During the investigation, detectives reportedly found messages between Crichlow and Scott dating back to April 2020, in which Scott allegedly expressed his intentions to hurt Crichlow, court records said.
Investigators found messages between Crichlow and a woman which led them to believe Crichlow was looking for Scott before the killing, according to the warrant affidavit. The woman reportedly warned Crichlow not to be seen on anyone’s Facebook Live feeds during the “races.”
Judge Nuala Droney scheduled Crichlow’s sentencing for June 26 in Hartford Superior Court.
“State’s Attorney Walcott would like to thank Connecticut State Police Detective Michael Grabowski and Deputy Sheriff Dan Iozzi of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office for their work on the case from investigation through trial,” the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice said in the release.