A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering Uber driver, Christina Spicuzza, a 38-year-old and mother of four.
Calvin Crew, 25, was convicted of first-degree murder and received a mandatory life sentence on Monday at the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh. In addition to the life term, he was sentenced to 13 to 26 years for related kidnapping and robbery charges.
Despite the devastating loss, Spicuzza’s family asked the court not to pursue the death penalty. Her mother, Cindy Spicuzza, addressed the court with a powerful statement, saying, “You should have the death penalty, but we showed mercy. You executed her. No mercy, no remorse. It was abhorrent. It was murder.”
Christina’s fiancé, Brandon Marto, also gave a victim impact statement. He condemned Crew for refusing to appear in court for his sentencing, calling him a coward. “Christy was everything for my family. I was lost, out of control. She saw something in me,” Marto said. He then added, “I hope you rot and burn in prison.”
Crew’s heinous crime took place on the night of February 10, 2022. Spicuzza had picked him up as part of her Uber shift. Just ten minutes into the ride, dashcam footage showed Crew, wearing a dark hoodie and mask, pulling a gun on her from the back seat.
“You’ve got to be joking,” Spicuzza is heard saying in the footage. Realizing the danger, she began to plead for her life. “Come on, I have a family. I have four kids,” she told Crew.
“I got a family too. Now drive,” he responded coldly.
Throughout the ride, Spicuzza continued to beg him to take the gun away from her head. Crew responded, “Do what I say and everything will be all right.” The footage ends when he notices the camera and grabs it from the dashboard.
Two days later, Spicuzza’s body was found in a wooded area in Monroeville. She had been shot once in the head.
Crew was arrested shortly after. He initially claimed he took a bus home following the ride, but surveillance and GPS data later disproved that claim. Investigators also recovered the dashcam and found damning text messages, including one from Crew’s girlfriend, Tanaya Mullen, stating, “I’m not going to jail if we get caught.”
During sentencing, Crew’s defense attorney noted his troubled upbringing, citing a childhood marked by violence and neglect. Despite the conviction, his legal team maintains his innocence and plans to appeal the ruling.
Spicuzza’s death shocked the community and left a lasting void in the lives of her family, friends, and four children. Her loved ones say they chose mercy in hopes of finding some measure of peace—but they remain devastated by the senseless nature of the crime.