Teen who shot Dad with crossbow sentenced to prison

Teen who shot Dad with crossbow sentenced to prison

MACCLENNY, FL/November 25, 2008  - Nearly one year ago, 56-year-old David John Cranford was found laying on his stomach with an arrow protruding from his lower back in a vacant mobile home in Baker County.

On Monday his 16-year-old son plead guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison. Cranford admitted shooting his father with a crossbow but claimed it was an accident.

Brian Adam Cranford was only 15 when Deputy Harold Taylor found the elder Cranford lying dead at a Sanderson residence on CR 127. The teen told investigators his father had left their residence around 10:00 p.m. the night before carrying a crossbow. When he did not return after a short while, the teen went on to bed. He said he awoke just before 10:00 a.m. and began searching for his father after not finding him home. After finding his father’s body, he said he ran home and called his brother and police.

The suspect’s statements to police were inconsistent with those of his brother who said the teen called him that morning around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. at which time he said Cranford was dead. The brother told him to call police and said he was on his way to the house.

Police immediately noted the discrepancy in time and the almost two hour lapse before they were called. Cranford changed his story and claimed that after talking with his brother, he walked over to the friend’s home where he stayed for about an hour before going back home and finally calling police.

As interviews progressed, the suspect again changed his story saying that his father had attempted to commit suicide with the crossbow on Sunday evening, but he stopped him. They returned home, but a while later returned to the trailer to retrieve something from the closet and David Cranford loaded another arrow into the bow. He claimed that his father handed him the bow while looking for a key and it discharged accidentally shooting his father in the stomach.

Cranford said he then locked the door and went home to bed. When he woke up he returned to the trailer to find his father near the front door, and not in the same location he was shot. The suspect said he must have still been alive and dragged himself to the front door.

Cranford will be given credit for 356 days he has spent in jail. He will also serve 10 years of probation after release from prison.