A California barber is accused of torturing and murdering a 6-year-old boy he was babysitting after meeting the boy’s mother at church.
Ernest Lamar Love, 41, allegedly beat Chance Crawford to death with a piece of wood after the boy wet his pants at a local park, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Chance’s mother, Charlyn Saffore, dropped him off at Love’s barbershop in Placentia around 6:30 pm so she could go to work the night shift at St. Joseph’s Hospital. She had met Love through church and trusted him, according to an Instagram post she made before the child’s death.
However, Love is accused of repeatedly hitting Chance with the piece of wood, pouring hydrogen peroxide on his wounds, and forcing him to do push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks, according to prosecutors.
Security cameras showed Love entering his barbershop about three hours before the assault, holding the piece of wood with Chance following behind him, according to the district attorney.
Chance later collapsed, and Love drove him, unconscious and struggling to breathe, to the emergency room at CHOC Hospital around 1:30 am.
Doctors at CHOC discovered severe injuries, including missing flesh from Chance’s buttocks, subdural hematoma, extreme brain swelling, and other injuries consistent with violent shaking. Chance also had a healing shoulder blade fracture, leading some family members to question if there had been prior abuse.
Chance fought for his life but died from his injuries on Tuesday afternoon, September 3, just three days into first grade.
Vance Crawford, Chance’s father, posted a black-and-white photo of his son wearing a crown, writing, “I lost a son yesterday. The anger I feel is unmatched, but I will get justice. Rest in peace, son. Daddy loves you.”
Crawford described the devastating experience of watching Chance pass away in critical condition. He said, “Seeing my son like that, in such a critical state, is devastating. He didn’t even die peacefully. It’s not fair.”
Crawford called Love “a monster” and said, “He deserves what’s coming. I’m going to let God handle him.”
Chance’s mother, Charlyn Saffore, remembered her son as “a light to the world” and expressed deep sadness over his death. She wrote on Instagram, “Chance was a dearly loved son and grandson. He was intelligent, lively, sharp, witty, and had a smile that would light up an entire room. If you knew him, you would have loved him like his entire community did.”
Saffore set up a GoFundMe for funeral expenses and has raised $15,263 toward her $20,000 goal.
KTLA reported that Saffore met Love at Amazing Church in Lake Elsinore. A church leader said Love was suspended from the church for inappropriate relationships with female parishioners. An anonymous former church member described Love as a womanizer with an anger problem, though he never saw him take it out on kids.
Love has pleaded not guilty to four charges, including murder, torture, and assault on a child with force likely to cause great bodily injury resulting in death.
He was arraigned on Wednesday morning, September 4, and is being held without bail. If found guilty, Love faces a maximum sentence of 32 years to life in prison plus five additional years.
