Man Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Chilling Murder of Uber Driver and Mother of Four

A Pennsylvania man who murdered his Uber driver during a terrifying 2022 ride has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Calvin Crew, 25, received the sentence on Monday for the killing of Christina Spicuzza, a 38-year-old mother of four. Alongside life in prison, Crew was also handed an additional 13 to 26 years for charges related to kidnapping and robbery.

Spicuzza’s brutal murder shocked the community. Dashcam footage captured the harrowing moments before her death—when she pleaded for her life after Crew pulled a gun on her during the ride. “I’m begging you. I have four kids,” she told him. Crew coldly replied, “I got a family too. Now drive.”

Though Crew was convicted of first-degree murder in February and faced the death penalty, Spicuzza’s family asked the court to spare his life. But their heartbreak was evident in the courtroom.

“You should have the death penalty, but we showed mercy,” said Cindy Spicuzza, Christina’s mother. “You executed her. No mercy, no remorse. It was abhorrent. It was murder.”

Crew was not present for his sentencing—by his own request. His attorney stated he continues to maintain his innocence and plans to appeal.

Brandon Marto, Spicuzza’s life partner, expressed outrage at Crew’s absence: “No reason other than a coward. A coward who couldn’t be here today to face this.”

The tragic incident unfolded on February 10, 2022, when Crew used his girlfriend’s phone to order an Uber. When Spicuzza arrived, he pulled a gun on her and told her to keep driving. The dashcam captured her stunned reaction: “You’ve got to be joking.”

Police later recovered her body in a wooded area. She had been shot in the head.

Spicuzza is remembered not just as a victim, but as a beloved and radiant presence in the lives of those who knew her.

“Christi was first and foremost a loving mother,” her family wrote in her obituary. “She enjoyed art, crafting, and her Bible study. Her smile could light up any room. No matter what was going on in her life, she was always smiling, always positive, always loving

Uber Driver Begged for Her Life Before Being Fatally Shot by Passenger: Killer Gets Life Without Parole

New details have emerged about the final, terrifying moments of Christina Spicuzza’s life—moments captured on her dashboard camera before she was murdered during an Uber ride in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Calvin Crew, 25, was sentenced this week to life in prison without parole for Spicuzza’s 2022 murder, following his February conviction for first-degree homicide. The court also added 13 to 26 years to his sentence for kidnapping and robbery.

Spicuzza, a 38-year-old mother of four, pleaded for her life repeatedly after Crew got into her car, pulled a 9mm handgun, and aimed it at her neck. “Please take that off of me,” she begged, according to police reports. Instead of showing mercy, Crew demanded she “complete the trip”, grabbing her phone from the dashboard and keeping the gun trained on her.

“Do what I say and everything will be all right,” he told her.

According to the criminal complaint, Crew eventually reached up and turned off the dash camera, which had been recording from both the front and back of the vehicle. That video was later recovered from a mini SD card, found just one-tenth of a mile from the pickup location. The footage captured Spicuzza’s fear, her pleas, and the cold, calculated control Crew exerted over her in her final minutes.

Soon after the camera was disabled, Spicuzza’s body was found in a wooded area off Rosecrest Drive. She had been shot once in the back of the head, and a 9mm shell casing was discovered nearby.

As the investigation unfolded, authorities learned that Crew used his girlfriend’s phone to book the Uber. During the ride, she sent him a chilling message:
“[I’m] not going to jail if we get caught.”

Crew, a convicted felon, was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous offenses as a juvenile. Just days before police filed a homicide warrant, Crew had been arrested for separate felony charges related to firearms sales and falsification to authorities—charges stemming from a 2020 incident.

Despite facing the death penalty, Crew was spared execution at the request of Spicuzza’s family. Her mother, Cindy Spicuzza, addressed the court with powerful words:

“You should have the death penalty, but we showed mercy. You executed her. No mercy, no remorse. It was abhorrent. It was murder.”

Brandon Marto, Christina’s partner, also spoke at the hearing, condemning Crew’s absence from the courtroom:

“No reason other than a coward. A coward who couldn’t be here today to face this.”

Spicuzza is remembered as a kind, radiant woman who loved her children fiercely. Her family described her as someone whose smile could brighten any room and who always chose love, no matter what challenges she faced.

Her senseless death has not only left a community grieving—but has also become a devastating reminder of the dangers rideshare drivers can face on the job.