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Pflugerville PD make arrests in 2021 deaths
Pflugerville police arrested four people in connection to the 2021 cases of two missing and murdered men. The four year investigation spanned multiple states
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - Four people were arrested in connection with the deaths of two Pflugerville men in 2021, police said.
What happened?
The backstory:
Pflugerville police said the victims, Jerod Crespin, 39, and Elijah Stark, 18, were reported missing and were later found dead in 2021. The victims were found in Tennessee and Williamson County.
After years of investigating, detectives found connections between four men and the two victims. The men were arrested and charged.
- Phillip Jones, 39, was arrested for murder (first-degree felony) and two Tampering/Fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse (second-degree felony) charges.
- Rico Huey, 39, was arrested for Murder (first-degree felony) and two Tampering/Fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse (second-degree felony) charges.
- Michael Leon Randle, 32, was arrested for Tampering/Fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, a (second-degree felony) charge.
- Jacob Stilwell, 28, was arrested for Tampering/Fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, a (second-degree felony) charge.
What they're saying:
"Our Detectives showed care, perseverance and diligence at every step of this investigation," said Stephen Griffith, Interim Police Chief of Pflugerville Police Department. "Our community is safer today with these suspects behind bars after years of dedication from our tireless investigators."
Longtime friend remembers Jerod Crespin
Dig deeper:
Amanda Martin knew Crespin for about 10 years, both working at Blizzard Entertainment. Both had a love of video games.
"He was a really positive person. His optimism was just, he's always looking for the good in people. He had a good sense of humor. He loved where he came from. He was always talking about his friends back home in Albuquerque," she said. "One of the things that was the sweetest that he would do is on our birthdays, he would take us out."
According to the arrest affidavit, Crespin hadn't been heard from since Oct. 7, 2021.
"He wasn't answering text messages, which was really bizarre," Martin said.
The paperwork says Jones and Huey lured Crespin out of his room by claiming Stilwell was having a seizure. Huey attacked him with pepper spray and an extension cord before they put him in a trunk. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning. His body was found on Oct. 20 in Memphis, Tenn. after the suspects drove him there.
"I never imagined it would be Tennessee," Martin said.
Stark's body was found on Nov. 6, 2021 in Taylor. Court paperwork says Stilwell told police he had a "nightmare" where he strangled him with a belt and took his body to a field.
While the investigation played out, there were a lot of unknowns for Martin.
"Having this uncertainty really caused me to struggle emotionally, actually ended up turning to the Lord," she said.
She shares her thoughts about the arrests.
"It was completely surprising because why would anybody want to hurt Jerod? He was friendly, he was very giving. He'd give you the shirt off his back, he was such a kind person. For him to be treated that way, for that to be what his last days were like is just unbelievable," she said. "I just don't want the world to forget who he was."
The Source: Information from the Pflugerville Police Department