VERO BEACH — A man who snapped and killed his step-father with a hammer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Donald Crabtree, now 47, faced a first-degree murder charge after Vero Beach police say he confessed to killing his 71-year-old step-father, Richard Lloyd, in his home in the 3100 block of 13th Avenue on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014. He was convicted of second-degree murder Oct. 25.
Lloyd’s body was discovered covered with a dark colored comforter in a back bedroom on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, after a friend of Crabtree’s notified authorities that Crabtree had told him what he had done.
During an in-custody interview with investigators, Crabtree told them he suffered for years at the hands of Lloyd, who sexually abused him and got him addicted to crack cocaine.
Crabtree, who was found at his mother’s home in Okeechobee County, was arrested and transported back to Indian River County.
Crabtree told investigators that he and Lloyd began arguing over money, explaining that he believed Lloyd had stolen money from him. During the argument, Lloyd stood up from the couch and Crabtree grabbed a hammer to defend himself, he told investigators. He added that Lloyd was not armed with anything and that he sustained a scratch on his arm from Lloyd’s nails.
During the attack, Crabtree told investigators that after the first blow with the hammer to Lloyd’s head, Lloyd asked Crabtree, “Why?” according to the report. Crabtree responded, “Don’t worry, I’m next.”
Crabtree explained to investigators that while the fight was initially about money, one of the reasons he killed Lloyd was because Lloyd had been mentally and sexually abusing him for years, starting at the age of 12, when Lloyd got him hooked on crack cocaine and then performed oral sex on the child. Later, Lloyd would give Crabtree narcotics in exchange for performing oral sex on Crabtree, Crabtree told investigators. He later told authorities that he had not had sexual contact with Lloyd for years.