Glenna and Lawrence Shapiro


Bruce Gaudet


Michael Crane


Prosecutors to seek death penalty in Arizona murders

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty if the main suspect is convicted in the murders of a Paradise Valley couple and a Phoenix cigar salesman.

Michael Lee Crane has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in the killings of Bruce Gaudet on Jan. 26 and of Lawrence and Glenna Shapiro on Jan. 30 in separate robberies.

The 32-year-old Crane remains held on $3 million bond.

On Wednesday, Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Crane if he's convicted for Gaudet's murder or either of the Shapiro killings.

The notice identifies aggravating factors of the especially cruel manner in which the murders were committed.

Authorities say all three homicide victims were robbed and their homes were set on fire.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/P...#ixzz251Zllqr7