Medford man gets 40 years for '05 slaying

Inquirer staff writer Maya Rao reports:

A Medford man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for the 2005 killing of Marianne DeMartin, a single woman who lived in the condominium complex where he did landscaping work.

Alex James Crow, 33, pleaded guilty in October to fatally choking DeMartin, 52, in her Evesham home, then dumping her body in a rural area in Schuylkill County, Pa. His motive: stealing her car.

Debbie Gore described in court the years of wondering what had happened to her sister – Crow was not arrested in connection with the murder until April this year – as a "nightmare from which we'll never wake up."

Burlington County Superior Court Judge Patricia R. LeBon's sentence was in accordance with Crow's plea agreement; his public defender, Donald Ackerman, today asked that Crow's term be reduced to 30 years.

Ackerman told the judge that Crow's drug and alcohol addiction fueled his actions.

"Mr. Crow has always expressed deep remorse for what happened," he said. "He's been very emotional with me."

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