Idaho man pleads guilty to murder near Boise State campus, may face 15 years in prison
This story was updated Feb. 10, 2022, to add mention of the initial charge of first-degree murder.
A 23-year-old Boise man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this month in connection with a shooting just a few feet from Boise State University’s campus in March 2021.
Matthew Crawford pleaded guilty to the charge on Feb. 1, entering into a plea agreement with the state, according to court documents obtained by the Idaho Statesman. Under the terms of the agreement, the charge was reduced from first-degree murder, and additional felonies against Crawford — conspiracy to commit a robbery and destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence — will be dismissed by the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office.
Crawford is expected to be sentenced to 15 years in prison fixed, plus up to 25 more years, and ordered to pay about $16,800 in restitution payments, according to his plea agreement. He is expected to be sentenced April 18, according to court records.
Crawford will receive credit for the time previously served until his sentencing. He has been in custody since March 16, 2021. The minimum penalty for second-degree murder is 10 years in prison, and the maximum is a life sentence.
Crawford’s roommate, Devoune Mosley, 24, was also charged with three felonies: first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and conspiracy to commit a robbery. His next hearing is Wednesday. Mosley was previously convicted on a felony aggravated battery in March 2018, according to online court records. He was in prison for nine months before being released on probation until 2033.
Crawford and Mosley remain without bail in Ada County Jail, according to online arrest records.
Shots fired on edge of Boise State campus
On March 15, 2021, officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of Chrisway Drive — just feet from Boise State’s campus — after hearing reports of shots fired, according to a news release from the Boise Police Department. The homicide set off a shelter-in-place order from the university.
Police found an adult man — who was later identified as 24-year-old Guy Lopez II — lying in the street with gunshot wounds, and he was rushed to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
Lopez later died at the hospital. The coroner’s office found Lopez died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his manner of death was labeled a homicide.
Mosley and Crawford allegedly met Lopez on a sidewalk with the intent of robbing him of money and narcotics, according to police. During the attempted robbery, police alleged Crawford “fired several rounds” and struck Lopez with bullets multiple times.
Crawford told police that Lopez also had a gun and fired it during the altercation, Deputy Prosecutor Kendal McDevitt said during a March 2021 hearing.
At least three guns were recovered during the investigation. Crawford had a Beretta 9mm handgun, clips and ammunition seized by police, according to the plea agreement.
A shotgun was found in a vehicle, and Mosley had allegedly told investigators he had a shotgun after his arrest, the Idaho Statesman previously reported. Mosley was not allowed to have a gun due to his prior felony conviction.
Police also recovered a gun near where Lopez fell.
During the March hearing, McDevitt said Crawford told police: “He pulled a gun on me. I got so (expletive) scared I didn’t know what to do.”
“At the very least, Mr. Crawford came to a gunfight with a loaded gun,” Ada County Court Judge Daniel Steckel said during the March hearing.
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 11:10 AM.
