Charles Ray Crawford

Charles Ray Crawford (February 10, 1966 – October 15, 2025) was an American convicted serial rapist and murderer. On January 29, 1993, four days before he was to stand trial for an unrelated rape and assault case, Crawford kidnapped a 20-year-old community college student named Kristy Ray from her home in Tippah County, Mississippi, before raping and murdering the victim. Crawford was later arrested and found guilty of the rape-murder of Ray, and sentenced to death in 1994, as well as 46 years' imprisonment for the unrelated rape case. Crawford's appeals were all dismissed and his death sentence was carried out on October 15, 2025.

Background Charles Ray Crawford was born in Mississippi on February 10, 1966. He had been married twice in his life with a son from his second marriage.

The same day when Ray was abducted and killed, Crawford's family discovered a ransom note in their attic that was similar to the one found by Ray's mother. Concerned that Crawford, who was scheduled to go on trial in the next four days for rape and assault, might be planning a kidnapping, his mother, wife, and grandfather notified Crawford's lawyer William Fortier of the finding, and this was also reported to the police. After some investigations, the police were able to link Crawford to the disappearance of Ray, and the following day, Crawford was arrested near the house of his former father-in-law. At the time of his arrest, he was armed with a double-barrel shotgun and a switchblade.

In contrast, a clinical psychologist called as a rebuttal witness testified that there was no indication Crawford had bipolar disorder. The psychologist also noted that Crawford appeared to have acted with premeditation and understood the difference between right and wrong. A second rebuttal witness, a forensic psychiatrist, stated that Crawford had been incorrectly diagnosed with psychogenic amnesia.

On June 27, 2013, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the death sentence and murder conviction of Crawford.

Subsequently, in January 2014, Crawford appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. On February 24, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Crawford's final appeal against his death sentence.

Rape conviction appeal In February 2014, the same month when the Mississippi Attorney General requested an execution date for Crawford, he sought leave to make further appeals, pertaining to his conviction of raping a teenage girl in another incident.

On April 16, 2014, the Mississippi Supreme Court first heard the appeal of Crawford against his rape conviction. Crawford's lawyers argued that he was represented by ineffective trial counsel at the time of the rape trial. The prosecution were also granted additional time to make submissions in response to Crawford's motion.

On October 13, 2014, the Mississippi state prosecutors requested the Mississippi Supreme Court to deny the appeal of Crawford against his rape conviction, pointing out that he only filed it 20 years after his trial and they argued that Crawford received a fair trial for his rape charge. Ultimately, on December 8, 2014, the Mississippi Supreme Court denied the prosecution's request to strike out Crawford's appeal in his rape case and allowed it to proceed. The Mississippi Supreme Court first heard arguments in March 2015.

On August 27, 2015, Crawford's appeal against his rape conviction was dismissed by the Mississippi Supreme Court.

In May 2023, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Crawford's appeal against his rape conviction. Another appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was also turned down in November 2024.

On February 26, 2025, Crawford's final appeal against his rape conviction was brought forward to the U.S. Supreme Court.

On June 2, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Crawford's final appeal against his rape conviction.

Execution Originally, in February 2014, the Mississippi Attorney General petitioned to the Mississippi Supreme Court to schedule the execution dates of Crawford and another prisoner. However, on March 31, 2014, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled against the Attorney General's motion for an execution date ruling that Crawford had the right to appeal the rape conviction before an execution date is set because the prosecutors used the rape conviction a statutory aggravating factor to justify a death sentence for Crawford.

On November 26, 2024, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch filed a motion to the Mississippi Supreme Court, seeking an execution date for Crawford, who had exhausted all his avenues of appeal against the death sentence. However, Crawford's lawyers opposed the scheduling of Crawford's execution, stating that he had not exhausted his appeals against his other conviction of rape, which he committed in another case, and a final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was planned for this particular case.

On June 3, 2025, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court denied Crawford's final appeal against his rape conviction, Fitch filed a renewed petition for Crawford to receive a new execution date.

On September 12, 2025, the Mississippi Supreme Court signed a death warrant for Crawford, scheduling his death sentence to be carried out on October 15, 2025.

On October 2, 2025, Crawford's lawyers filed a final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his execution. In response, the state prosecution argued that Crawford's guilt was not in doubt and that his execution should proceed as scheduled. Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the final appeal of Crawford.

On October 7, 2025, death penalty opponents banded together to protest against Crawford's scheduled execution. In the end, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves denied clemency for Crawford on October 13, 2025.

On October 15, 2025, Crawford was put to death by lethal injection in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at 6:15 pm. Prior to his execution, Crawford ate a last meal of a double cheeseburger, french fries, peach cobbler and chocolate ice cream.

Crawford was one of seven inmates scheduled to be executed in October 2025 across the United States. Crawford was also one of four inmates slated to be executed within the same week.

In popular media In 2019, the case of Kristy Ray's murder was re-enacted in an episode of true crime documentary Your Worst Nightmare.