RICHMOND, Texas (Covering Katy News) – A man who played a part in luring victims to a hotel to rob them will spend life in prison after a Fort Bend County jury convicted him of capital murder July 2.
Anthony Crater, 35, of Michigan, was automatically sentenced to life without parole because prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. He fatally shot a man during a 2022 aggravated robbery at a Stafford hotel.
Crater was the second defendant convicted in the case after Jessie Cook pleaded guilty to murder in May and received a 50-year prison sentence.
According to lead prosecutor Milo Fragoso, Crater and Cook went to a Stafford hotel in the early morning hours of April 30, 2022, where two other co-defendants had allegedly lured two victims to be robbed. Crater shot and killed one of the men when he tried to escape.
The Stafford Police Department investigation, led by Sgt. Kristi Melendez, identified four people responsible for the crime and their roles in the offense.
"Mr. Crater made a conscious decision that night that his victim would not escape him," Fragoso said. "In the end, the defendant senselessly took the life of a young man over a few material possessions. His actions and blatant disregard for human life not only merited the capital murder charge, but the ultimate consequence of a life sentence without parole that comes with that conviction."
District Attorney Brian M. Middleton said he was proud of prosecutors and police who dedicated time to get justice for the victim's family.
"I cannot imagine their pain, and pray the result helps close this difficult chapter in their lives," Middleton said.
Assistant District Attorneys Milo Fragoso, Gavin O'Brien and Chief Felony Prosecutor Lisa Gregg tried the case in the 240th District Court before Judge Surendran Pattel.
Charges against defendants Kaylin Johnson and Syandra Patterson remain pending.