Angela Crawford
MILWAUKEE -- 43-year-old Angela Crawford is charged with second-degree reckless homicide in connection with the January 27th stabbing of Anthony Upchurch. Upchurch was stabbed in the neighborhood near 95th and Thurston on Milwaukee's northwest side. He died from his injuries on February 4th.
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police received a 911 call on the evening of January 27th regarding a stabbing. The complaint indicates Crawford was the person who made that call. The caller "stated that a person had been stabbed and that he is not breathing."
When police arrived on the scene, they found Upchurch sitting on the bottom stairs at the residence. He was "holding a bloody towel up to his face." When an officer asked Upchurch where the person who injured him was, "Upchurch pointed toward the front door and quietly stated 'outside.'" On the way to the hospital, the officer asked Upchurch if he knew the name of the person who cut him and Upchurch stated 'no.' He stated "he knows the male who cut him, but does not know the person's name."
The complaint indicates Upchurch needed surgery for his injuries because the "wound caused a puncture to the carotid artery." Upchurch apparently suffered a stroke while in surgery which caused paralysis to his left side. On February 4th, Upchurch was pronounced brain dead.
The complaint indicates Crawford maintained her innocence in Upchurch's stabbing -- stating Upchurch was stabbed outside of the residence. But surveillance video recovered from a nearby home "does not show any person leaving or entering the front door" of the residence on that January evening.
Prior to his death, the complaint says Upchurch's brother visited him in the hospital. The brother told detectives Upchurch was able to open his eyes and communicate non-verbally. During that conversation, Upchurch apparently batted his eyes to indicate a woman stabbed him. When the brother asked, "Did Angie do this to you," Upchurch apparently moved his head and batted his eyes. When the brother asked whether the stabbing happened on the street, Upchurch did not respond. When the brother asked if this happened in the house, the complaint says "Upchurch batted his eyes once and lifted his right hand slightly in an attempt to reach out to him."
If convicted, Crawford faces up to 25 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.