SPRINGFIELD, Ga. (WSAV) – Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against four of the five people accused in the death of two Effingham County teenagers.
The bodies of 14-year-old Mary Crocker and her younger brother Elwyn Crocker Jr. were found buried near their backyard just days before Christmas in 2018.
According to Effingham County Superior Court Clerk Elizabeth Hursey, notices have been filed on behalf of the State of Georgia seeking the death penalty against Elwyn Crocker Sr., the teens’ biological father, Candice Crocker, their stepmother, Kim Wright, their step-grandmother and Mark Wright, their uncle.
All four are being arraigned on Feb. 19.
The state is not seeking the death penalty for Roy Prater, who is the boyfriend of Kim Wright.
Not all five are charged in the deaths of both teenagers.
Elwyn Crocker Sr., Candice Crocker and Kim Wright are charged with murder, and cruelty to children, and concealing the death of Mary and Elwyn Jr. Crocker.
Mark Wright and Roy Prater face the same charges but only in the death of Mary.
Law enforcement discovered the bodies of Mary Crocker and Elwyn Crocker Jr. during a welfare check. Investigators believe Elwyn Crocker Jr. was killed two years before his sister.
Neither teenager was ever reported missing.
Since then, disturbing details have surfaced of how Mary Crocker was treated. Investigators have testified that she was abused in many ways, including being kept naked in a dog kennel.
