A jury has found Tyler Hurd guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Cynthia Crampton.
He will serve life in prison, with no parole eligibility for 25 years.
The jury decided the murder was planned and deliberate, which was the differentiating factor between a first and a second-degree murder sentence. The jury deliberation lasted just under seven hours, which came to a conclusion around 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday.
Three victim impact statements were read in court on Friday evening; two by Crampton’s daughters, Shanda and Kara Leftley.
“Tyler, you are the sickest person I’ve ever encountered. You chose to stay there and take advantage of a sick and lost woman,” Kara said in court.
Crampton’s daughters said they want their mom remembered beyond the narrow version which was painted by Hurd.
“This man decided my mom was a bad person, based on the mere 10 months he knew her and for that reason, he decided to play God and kill a woman with a mental illness who had battled for years,” Shanda said.
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WATCH BELOW: Cynthia Crampton’s daughters issue statement after Tyler Hurd found guilty
Crampton’s daughters said their mom reached an all-time low and was trying to break free. They said Crampton was working on her resume the night she was killed.
“Through all the 55 years on earth, she had one bad year. One year where she became friends with the wrong people and despite her trying to help those less fortunate, she got roped into a world where addictions exist,” Shanda said.
Hurd turned and addressed the family saying “it is a sick, disgusting thing I did.”
“I’m sorry. I will pay for what I’ve done. I’m a psychopath. Don’t hang onto the hate, let it go. It’s not healthy.”
Crampton, 55, was found dead in her Stonebridge basement suite in June 2016 by her daughter. Her body was found in the bathroom covered with towels.
In a police interrogation video played during the trial, Hurd admitted to killing Crampton, stating it was “blatantly obvious due to the evidence I left behind at the murder scene.”
Police investigators had testified that Crampton had been stuck in the head with a hammer and then strangled with a piece of leather.
Hurd said he stayed in the apartment for two days after killing Crampton before stealing her car and more than $1,000 from her.
He then scattered her belongings and other evidence around and outside the city.
Hurd admitted to his girlfriend, Tammy Poffley, that he killed Crampton and although he said she was disgusted, she was proud that he stood up for the two of them.
He had told an officer that Crampton would use drugs and make sexual advances towards him.
Hurd and Poffley were arrested near Asquith, Sask., two days after Crampton’s body was found.
Poffley pleaded guilty in July to being an accessory to murder and was sentenced to two years less a day in prison.
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