| John Martin Crawford | |
| Birthname: | John Martin Crawford |
| Birth Date: | 29 March 1962 |
| Birth Place: | Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada |
| Other Names: | The Lady Killer |
| Conviction: | First degree murder Second degree murder (2 counts) Manslaughter |
| Sentence: | Life imprisonment |
| Death Place: | Regional Psychiatric Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Victims: | 4+ |
| Country: | Canada |
| Beginyear: | 1981 |
| Endyear: | 1992 |
| Apprehended: | 1993 |
| Imprisoned: | Regional Psychiatric Centre |
John Martin Crawford (March 29, 1962 – December 16, 2020) was a Canadian serial killer. Crawford was convicted of killing four women in Saskatchewan and Alberta, between 1981 and 1992.[1]
Crawford was sentenced in 1981 to ten years' imprisonment for manslaughter in the killing of Mary Jane Serloin, in Lethbridge, Alberta. He was released from prison in 1989.[2]
While under police surveillance, Crawford sexually assaulted Theresa Kematch,[3] who was herself arrested, while Crawford was not.
In October 1994, a hunter came across the remains of the women in heavy brush outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.[4] [5] In 1996, Crawford was convicted of one count of first degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder in the 1992 deaths of three Indigenous women identified as Eva Taysup, Shelley Napope, and Calinda Waterhen. Crawford was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences.[6]
Crawford is discussed in Warren Goulding's book Just Another Indian, A Serial Killer and Canada's Indifference with the message that crimes against marginalized minorities go unheeded by an uncaring society at large. The theory is posited that Crawford's case was played down by the media because his victims were Aboriginal women.[7]
Crawford died on December 16, 2020, while serving his sentence at the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon.[8] [9] No cause of death was released.[10]