HARRISBURG, PA — A Columbia County judge this week rejected Michael Crimi’s bid to overturn his murder conviction in the 2017 beating death of his then-girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter, leaving intact his 19- to 40-year prison sentence, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.
Crimi was convicted in 2021 of third-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child. He sought relief under Pennsylvania’s Post Conviction Relief Act, arguing that he received ineffective assistance of counsel.
The judge denied that petition and ruled that the conviction will stand, the Attorney General’s Office reported. Crimi previously sought relief from the Pennsylvania Superior Court, which also rejected his claims.
According to testimony cited by the Attorney General’s Office, Crimi was caring for the girl shortly after Thanksgiving in 2017 when he beat her to death. Treating physicians found bruising across the child’s body.
Evidence presented in the case indicated that Crimi resented the girl and believed her mother was becoming distant from him. Prosecutors maintained that he had become increasingly frustrated with the child while caring for her as he suspected his relationship with her mother was ending.
“This was nothing more than a convicted killer’s latest attempt to avoid responsibility for callously murdering a defenseless little girl,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said following the ruling.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office secured Crimi’s conviction and represented the Commonwealth in the post-conviction proceedings. Senior Deputy Attorney General Christopher Schmidt handled the latest litigation.
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