Massachusetts man gets life in prison for killing two people in commuter lot near CT mall

A Massachusetts man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for fatally shooting a man and a woman in a commuter lot near The Shoppes at Buckland Hills in Manchester in 2020.

Gregory Crichlow, 25, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced by Judge Nuala Droney in connection with the deaths of 24-year-old Gregory Scott, Jr., and 20-year-old Jennifer Hicks, both of Massachusetts, in August 2020, according to a statement from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.

Crichlow was found guilty of two counts of murder and one count of murder with special circumstance by a Hartford Superior Court jury on March 20.

“To me, this is what they call a Pyrrhic victory which is one that comes with a high cost. One which ends up not being worth winning,” said Gregory Scott, Sr., father of Gregory Scott, Jr., during the victims’ statements at sentencing. “My loss is so far much greater.”

He added that though “the damage the defendant inflicted upon my family is insurmountable and irreversible,” he believes, “justice has prevailed.”

Massachusetts man found guilty in 2020 shooting that killed two people in commuter lot near CT mall

On Aug. 2, 2020, two 911 calls reported a shooting around 2 a.m. at a commuter lot near The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, known then as the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester. When Connecticut State Police troopers arrived at the scene, they determined that there had been a gathering of about 100 vehicles in the parking lot to attend illegal car “races” in the area, court records said.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, a witness who was in the same Jeep Wrangler as Scott and Hicks told state police detectives she saw a pickup truck pull in, a man walk up to Scott and then open fire at Scott and Hicks through the driver’s side window.

Both Scott and Hicks died in the days following the shooting, according to previous reports.

Court testimony showed that the witness had seen the truck at a gas station earlier that day. Investigators obtained video footage from that gas station and linked it to Crichlow, court records said.

Another witness showed investigators a Facebook page they believed belonged to the shooter, according to the warrant affidavit. The man in the profile picture matched the description of Crichlow provided by the first witness, the warrant affidavit said

According to court records, state police detectives learned of an alleged feud between Crichlow, a member of the Knox Street gang in Springfield, and Scott, who was allegedly associated with the Sycamore Street posse.

During the investigation, detectives reportedly found messages between Crichlow and Scott dating back to April 2020, in which Scott allegedly expressed his intentions to hurt Crichlow, court records said.

Investigators found messages between Crichlow and a woman which led them to believe Crichlow was looking for Scott before the killing, according to the warrant affidavit. The woman reportedly warned Crichlow not to be seen on anyone’s Facebook Live feeds during the “races.”

“First and foremost, the Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office would like to express our sincere condolences to the families of Gregory Scott, Jr. and Jennifer Hicks,” State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott said.

During the sentencing hearing, Gregory Scott, Sr. thanked the police and prosecutors for “fighting the good fight” to make sure both families “received the proper presentation so that their lives were not taken in vain and justice and accountability was delivered.”

“I will always be in grief for my son, but knowing that we have some kind of closure makes it a little easier to cope,” he added.

Ericka Ortega, the mother of Jennifer Hicks, said her daughter “was a great person full of life and love. She was smart, bright, ambitious and courageous and always took risks. … The defendant took away an innocent life and we prayed for justice so that we can finally heal.”

In the release from the DCJ, Walcott thanked to the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad, the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office and the Springfield Police Department for their work on the case.