Killer of wife betrayed love and trust, family says

In the months before he killed his 26-year-old wife, Erica Crippen, Kyle Crosby shared meals with her family, visited their homes, and played with their children.

Crippen's family trusted him, said her cousin, Barbara Kellam. Crosby and his wife also shared an infant daughter, Kay'lee, now 1.

So on Thursday, when Crosby is sentenced to 31 years in prison for Crippen's slaying, Kellam said it will feel like losing another family member, even though she believes he belongs behind bars.

"At this point, we still got love for Kyle," Kellam said last week. "But will he ever be close to us again? No."

Crosby, 29, pleaded guilty in December to aggravated manslaughter and hindering apprehension. His sentencing, the result of a plea deal, is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday in Superior Court in Mount Holly.

Prosecutors said he choked Crippen in their Mount Laurel home on New Year's Eve in 2014 and later disposed of her body on farmland in Sykesville, Md., about 30 miles west of Baltimore. Authorities found the body two months later, in March 2015, after searching through more than 8,600 locations on Crosby's GPS device.

Authorities said Crippen's neck, hands, and feet were bound with yellow electrical wire, and her mouth and nose covered with duct tape.

In the months before the discovery, Kellam and other family members searched for her body in woods in Burlington and Camden Counties, at one point enlisting the help of a psychic.

Kellam said last week that she still can't fathom how Crosby could kill his wife of two years.

"This is your wife, this is somebody you love," Kellam said. At the same time, she said, "He loses, too. You have to live with this for the rest of your life."

Crippen was reported missing Jan. 7, 2015, after her daughter from a previous relationship, now 8, was not picked up from school. Crosby, who authorities said disposed of Crippen's body late Jan. 10 or early Jan. 11, was arrested Jan. 12 in Bellmawr after a traffic stop.

As part of a plea deal, charges will be dismissed Thursday against Crosby's mother, Jo, 68, of Sicklerville. Authorities said she tried to help her son conceal the crime and exchanged text messages with him the day he killed Crippen. She was indicted for tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

"Please do not touch her in any way or form," Jo Crosby told her son in one message, according to an affidavit. In response, Kyle Crosby "indicated that he was not that stupid," the affidavit said.

Kellam said the family was hoping Jo Crosby would face prison time or probation, and called the deal to dismiss the charges upsetting. The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office declined to comment on the plea deal or the case before the sentencing.

mboren@phillynews.com

856-779-3829 @borenmc