Bethpage Man Convicted Of Stabbing Wife To Death

A Bethpage man was convicted on Monday of stabbing his wife to death, attacking his daughter with a knife and leading police on a chase on the Southern State Parkway before crashing his car at a gas station, according to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Robert Crumb, 45, faces up to 25 years to life in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and resisting arrest.

“This defendant brutally murdered the mother of his children, assaulted his daughter, and endangered the lives of police and the public in a reckless high-speed chase,” Singas said in a press release. “My heart goes out to the victim’s family and while no conviction can erase their pain, I hope this verdict gives them some comfort.”

On November 2016, Crumb and his wife, Maria Crumb, were arguing over their pending divorce in the bedroom of their Seitz Drive home at 12:30 a.m. when he stabbed and slashed her multiple times in the back. The couple's then 12-year-old son tried to stop the stabbing by jumping onto the father's back, but was thrown off. Crumb then attacked his teenage daughter and stabbed his wife again in the neck.

The son called 911 and Nassau Police responded to the home, pronouncing Maria Crumb dead at the scene.

Crumb fled the house and led police on a high-speed chase, at times driving up to 90 miles per hour, on the Southern State Parkway and Belt Parkway. The chase ended when Crumb crashed his car into a Citgo Gas station in Brooklyn, causing it to burst into flames.

The DA says Crumb then charged at one of the officers, knocking him to the ground and causing him to lose consciousness. Several other officers jumped in and arrested Crumb.

At the trial, Crumb was acquitted of one count of second-degree assault and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

He is due back for sentencing on June 14.

Image via NCDA