Uber passenger charged in shooting death of driver, a mom of 4, Pennsylvania cops say
A 22-year-old man has been charged in the death of Christi Spicuzza, an Uber driver who was found shot and killed last weekend, Pennsylvania officials say.
Police in Allegheny County announced on Thursday, Feb. 17, the arrest of Calvin Crew, who is charged with criminal homicide, robbery and tampering with evidence. Crew was a passenger in Spicuzza’s Uber vehicle on Feb. 10, according to media reports.
Spicuzza, a 38-year-old mother of four, was reported missing on Feb. 11 after she failed to return home from working as an Uber driver the night before, Allegheny County police say. Her vehicle was found Feb. 12 in the neighboring town of Pitcairn.
Later that afternoon, police discovered Spicuzza’s body abandoned in the woods in nearby Monroeville. Officers said she suffered a single gunshot wound.
Spicuzza’s dashcam video the night she went missing and testimony from Crew’s girlfriend led officers to identify him as the suspect, according to media reports.
Crew is seen in the video pointing a handgun to the back of Spicuzza’s head after she picked him up, demanding that she continue driving, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I’m begging you, I have four kids,” Spicuzza said at one point during the drive, the Post-Gazette reported.
Seconds before Crew grabs the dash camera and the video ends he tells the driver, “Do what I say and everything will be alright,” according to the criminal complaint obtained by WTAE.
Crew’s girlfriend told detectives that she recently purchased a 9 mm gun, but it went missing and she suspected her boyfriend stole it, WTAE reported.
Uber also sent police information pertaining to Spicuzza’s driving, including her trip information and whom she picked up, according to KDKA. Those records showed Spicuzza drove Crew to Monroeville, where her body was found.
Crew was taken into custody around 7 p.m. Thursday and will be transported to the Allegheny County Jail, police said.
An obituary for Spicuzza states she was a loving mother who “enjoyed art, crafting and her Bible study.”
“Anyone who knew Christi knew her smile could light up every room she was in,” the obituary states. “No matter what was going on in her life, Christi was always smiling, always positive, always loving.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Uber passenger charged in shooting death of driver, a mom of 4, Pennsylvania cops say."