Christina Spicuzza's dashboard camera captured footage of her last moments with her alleged killer. The mother of four reportedly begged for her life before she was shot dead in what officials described as an attempted robbery, police say.
A Pennsylvania mother of four who worked as an Uber driver pleaded for her life before she was shot and killed by a passenger in what authorities described as an attempted robbery, officials said.
Calvin Anthony Crew, 22, was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with criminal homicide, robbery, and tampering with evidence in the death of Christina Spicuzza, 38, according to a police criminal complaint filed by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in Pittsburg Municipal Court.
Spicuzza was reported missing by her longtime live-in boyfriend, Brandon Marto, on Feb. 11. Marto told police that Spicuzza was working on the evening of Feb. 10 when he last heard from her.
He told detectives that Spicuzza regularly checked in with him while she is driving for Uber, and told them that he had not heard from her since she left Monroeville to pick up a passenger in Pitcairn around 9 p.m. on Feb. 10, according to Allegheny County criminal court records obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
Marto told detectives that he purchased a dashcam for Spicuzza and that it could normally be found inside her vehicle. He said that the dashcam was in her vehicle when she left the house on Feb. 10, but when Marto went to the vehicle recovery site, he told police that it was no longer inside the car, the complaint said.
Police contacted Uber to obtain trip information for Spicuzza. That data confirmed that her last completed trip began at 9 p.m. on Feb. 10 from Brinton Road, according to the criminal complaint.
On Feb. 12, Spicuzza's body was discovered by an Amazon driver. She had been lying on the side of the road with a single gunshot wound to the head, according to Allegheny County police.
According to the complaint, Spicuzza was located 50 feet off the roadway in a wooded area near suburban Pittsburgh. She was reportedly found lying face down and was wearing a COVID face mask. One 9 mm casing, bearing a 9 mm Luger head stamp, was located behind her, USA Today reported.
Spicuzza's four-door dark gray Nissan Sentra was found two miles away in Pitcairn, according to Monroeville Police Chief Doug Cole, NBC News reported.
On Feb. 17, detectives located the missing dash camera and were able to view footage from the mini-SD card that provided a chilling timeline of the brutal murder, according to the probable cause affidavit.
At 9:14 p.m., a person with a hood up in dark clothing emerged from between 139 Brinton Ave. and 201 Brinton Ave. and entered the victim's vehicle, according to the affidavit. The man, who police identified as Calvin Anthony Crew did not respond when Spicuzza turned and asked, “For Tanaya?” according to the affidavit. Within a second, the man placed his hand on Spicuzza’s left shoulder and pointed a gun at the back of her head, according to the complaint.
In that moment, according to the complaint, Spicuzza reached up with her right hand and touched the gun and then said to Crew, “You’ve got to be joking.”
“It’s a gun," Crew allegedly said.
“Come on, I have a family," Spicuzza replied.
“I got a family, too, now drive,” Crew allegedly said.
According to the complaint, Crew demanded that Spicuzza “complete the trip.” He then used his left hand, grabbed Spicuzza’s ponytail and controlled her head, according to the complaint.
“I’m begging you. I have four kids,” Spicuzza said.
Crew placed the firearm into his left hand and kept it placed at the back of Spicuzza’s neck, the complaint said.
"Please take that off of me,” Spicuzza said, to which Crew allegedly replied, “Do what I say and everything will be alright" after reaching for her cell phone.
Crew reached for the dash camera at 9:34 p.m., at which time the video footage ended, the complaint said.
After the brutal killing, Crew allegedly tried to access Spicuzza’s banking apps to transfer money to his girlfriend's phone, the complaint alleges.
An arrest warrant was then issued for Crew.
At a news conference, Allegheny County Police Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph called Spicuzza's murder a “senseless killing that left four children without a mother," USA Today reported.
“My heart breaks for Christina's children and her family," Joseph said.
According to police, Crew’s girlfriend, identified as Tanaya Mullen said she requested the ride for Crew using her Uber account, according to the criminal complaint.
Mullen said she was not with Crew when he allegedly approached the Uber driver, the complaint said.
Mullen told police that the gun she owned had gone missing after she attended a party for one of Crew’s family members, the complaint said.
Mullen has not been charged or charged with a crime.
Crew was denied bond during an initial court appearance.
On Friday, an Uber spokesperson expressed their condolences to the family.
“No family should have to suffer such an unimaginable loss and our thoughts are with Christi’s loved ones during this difficult time. We’ve been in touch with law enforcement to support the investigation and are grateful for everything they’ve done,” the spokesperson said.
