Nicholas Lindsey is a Florida man who, at sixteen, shot and killed St. Petersburg police Officer David Crawford on February 21, 2011, and was convicted of first-degree murder the following year. He is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole, a sentence that has been imposed on him three separate times as courts worked through the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Miller v. Alabama on juvenile life sentences.
The Night Officer Crawford Was Killed
On the evening of February 21, 2011, a resident near Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg called police about a suspicious person carrying a brick through a backyard.1CNN. Florida Officer Shot Lindsey, then sixteen, was trying to break into a Dodge Neon, using pieces of a brick and a screwdriver to turn the ignition.2Findlaw. Lindsey v. State He had a semiautomatic handgun on him that he had bought on the street for $140 the week before.3ABC News. Florida Police Killing
Officer David Crawford, a 46-year-old with 25 years on the St. Petersburg force, spotted Lindsey near Second Avenue South and Eighth Street South.4St. Petersburg Police Department. Officer David S. Crawford When Crawford stepped out of his cruiser and reached for a notepad, Lindsey opened fire, hitting him five times in the chest and torso.5The Ledger. Nicholas Lindsey Sentenced to Life for Killing Cop, Loses Bid for Shorter Sentence Crawford drew his Glock and fired six rounds back, none of which struck Lindsey. Lindsey ran. Crawford died at Bayfront Medical Center, the fifteenth St. Petersburg officer killed in the line of duty.
Turning Himself In
Hundreds of officers from multiple agencies searched St. Petersburg overnight. Three tips brought investigators to Lindsey.1CNN. Florida Officer Shot His mother, Deneen Sweat, recognized the suspect description from news coverage and told her son to “man up and tell what happened.”3ABC News. Florida Police Killing
On the evening of February 22, Lindsey’s parents brought him to police. In a videotaped confession, he admitted aiming at Crawford’s stomach and firing, and said he had thrown the gun into a creek near a school.1CNN. Florida Officer Shot Police Chief Chuck Harmon said Lindsey appeared remorseful and cried during the admission. At a later court appearance, Lindsey’s father apologized publicly to Crawford’s family and colleagues, calling Nicholas his only son.3ABC News. Florida Police Killing
Charged as an Adult, Convicted of First-Degree Murder
Prosecutors charged Lindsey as an adult with first-degree murder. His trial opened in March 2012 in Pinellas County, with Frank McDermott and Dyril Flanagan defending him.6Tampa Bay Times. Lindsey Verdict: Guilty of First-Degree Murder The defense conceded Lindsey had shot Crawford but asked the jury for manslaughter, describing him as a “scared child” who panicked, believing rival gang members were confronting him.
The state argued the shooting occurred during a felony car burglary, which made it first-degree murder under Florida law. Prosecutors played the confession, in which Lindsey said, “I just started shooting.”5The Ledger. Nicholas Lindsey Sentenced to Life for Killing Cop, Loses Bid for Shorter Sentence Ballistics evidence showed two rounds passed through Crawford’s body and three remained inside; prosecutors also introduced two flip-flops they said Lindsey lost as he fled.7Spectrum Bay News 9. Prosecution Rests In Lindsey Trial
Lindsey’s mother testified for the defense but admitted she had earlier lied to prosecutors about whether her son came home wearing shoes. His father said Lindsey had been “shaken and scared” and told him he “didn’t mean to do it.”7Spectrum Bay News 9. Prosecution Rests In Lindsey Trial Lindsey did not take the stand. On March 23, 2012, the jury convicted him of first-degree murder.6Tampa Bay Times. Lindsey Verdict: Guilty of First-Degree Murder Jury forewoman Cynthia Gordon later said jurors wept during deliberations for Lindsey’s parents.8Tampa Bay Times. Jurors in Nicholas Lindsey Murder Trial Wept for His Parents, Not for Him
Three Life Sentences
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Thane Covert imposed life without parole in 2012. Under Florida law at the time, it was the only sentence available for first-degree murder.5The Ledger. Nicholas Lindsey Sentenced to Life for Killing Cop, Loses Bid for Shorter Sentence
Three months later, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Miller v. Alabama, holding that mandatory life without parole for juvenile offenders violates the Eighth Amendment. Any such sentence for a juvenile, the Court ruled, requires individualized consideration of the offender’s youth, background, and circumstances.9Justia. Miller v. Alabama
Lindsey moved to correct his sentence, and Judge Covert held a new sentencing hearing in September 2013. Crawford’s daughter, Amanda Crawford, told the court she wanted the maximum: “I just want the peace of mind to know I’ll never have to walk on the streets and come across my father’s killer, a free man, on the same sidewalk.”10Spectrum Bay News 9. Nick Lindsey Resentencing In a 27-page order, Covert found that Lindsey’s actions showed “thought, experience, and planning” rather than adolescent impulsivity, noted that he had been stealing cars since age eleven and armed himself before committing a property crime, and cited violent behavior while incarcerated in expressing “significant doubts” about rehabilitation.2Findlaw. Lindsey v. State He reimposed life without parole and said Lindsey “will die in prison.”11Tampa Bay Times. Cop Killer Nicholas Lindsey Seeks to Reduce Life Sentence to 40 Years
Lindsey appealed, challenging his confession, his arrest, and the sentence. In 2015, Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal affirmed. The panel found that although the trial court had misapplied Miller to two of the three statutes underlying the sentence, a third statute, section 775.087(2), gave the judge discretion rather than mandating life. Because the sentence was not imposed under a mandatory scheme, the court held, Miller did not require reversal.2Findlaw. Lindsey v. State
In January 2017, defense attorney Stacey Schroeder brought another motion, arguing that a 2014 Florida law responding to Miller capped juvenile first-degree murder sentences at life with judicial review after 25 years and that Lindsey’s should be reduced to 40 years. The state pointed to his criminal record and ten major disciplinary violations in prison.12FOX 13. Convicted Cop Killer Asks for Lesser Sentence Amanda Crawford testified again: “One shot could be an accident, two perhaps, but three, four and five showed intent.”5The Ledger. Nicholas Lindsey Sentenced to Life for Killing Cop, Loses Bid for Shorter Sentence Judge Covert denied the motion and imposed life a third time.13Tampa Bay Times. Nicholas Lindsey, Killer of St. Petersburg Police Officer, Again Sentenced To Life
Where Lindsey Is Now
Lindsey remains in the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections, serving life without the possibility of parole.