The brother of the Fresno man accused of stabbing a Fresno County prosecutor last week disputes the attack was targeted, saying the suspect is mentally ill and has bad eyesight.
Dustin Crawford, 42, is charged with several felonies and enhancements, including assault on a public official, attempted murder of a public official, causing great bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon.
If convicted on all charges, he faces a life sentence.
Crawford was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday but was unable to secure an attorney until Wednesday.
The Fresno County public defender, contracted legal firm Fitzgerald, Alvarez & Ciummo and the Alternative Defense Office each declined to take on the case, citing a conflict.
On Wednesday, private defense attorney Yan Schrayberman of Fresno was appointed by the court to represent Crawford. Schrayberman was granted a continuation until Sept. 9.
Since the Aug. 20 attack, the legal community that frequents the Fresno County Courthouse has been on edge. Several deputies can be seen in the area, providing added security.
Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni and District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp have said the stabbing was targeted and serves as an example of the failure of Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to implement criminal justice reform.
Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp and Sheriff John Zanoni provide an update on the Aug. 20 stabbing of a senior deputy district attorney.
Family members of Crawford’s who attended both recent hearings dispute the theory that the attack was targeted.
Clad in a yellow jail jumpsuit, reserved for high-risk inmates, Crawford entered the courtroom to more than a dozen prosecutors and investigators with the Fresno County District Attorney’s office.
Also present were Crawford’s older brother David and his aunt, who sat in the front row. They were hoping he saw them, but it didn’t appear he did.
“He looked right past us,” David Crawford said.
He also said that while he sympathizes with the family of the prosecutor, he does not believe his brother singled out the victim for any specific reason.
“My brother has mental illness and he’s had it for years. He hears voices in his head,” David Crawford said. “He didn’t know that guy.”
Smittcamp has said the suspect knew the prosecutor from a 2016 case when Crawford was charged with attacking someone with a knife, resisting arrest, and battery on a police officer.
But David Crawford said that his brother is extremely nearsighted and does not wear his glasses. He said it is likely he didn’t know who he was confronting.
Until a few months ago, Dustin Crawford was living with his mother. He has medication for his mental illness symptoms but didn’t always take it, his brother said.
After a few weeks, Crawford’s mother grew afraid of her son’s erratic, sometimes violent behavior and secured a restraining order against him. She called the Sheriff’s Office at least seven times, David Crawford said.
Dustin Crawford remains in the Fresno County Jail.