Babysitters sent to prison for 'sadistic' sexual assault of toddler

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The mother of a toddler whose babysitters repeatedly sexually assaulted the child told a judge Wednesday that her daughter still has nightmares.

She talks about "monsters," said her mother, who sobbed in front of a federal judge and questioned how anyone could commit such crimes.

As a mother, she feels like a failure, said the woman, whose name was not released to protect the identity of her daughter, who was 17 months old when the crimes were discovered.

For two months in early 2017 the child's babysitters, Justin Crandall, 30, and his 28-year-old wife, Jessica Crandall, committed what Judge Thomas McAvoy of U.S. District Court in Binghamtom described as "sadistic" abusive acts.

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"There are few things worse than the sadistic abuse of a child," McAvoy said in court. "And in your case, there seemed few things that were off limits."

He sentenced Justin Crandall to 50 years in federal prison. Jessica Crandall received 25 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Miroslav Lovric, who sought a 90-year prison sentence for the Crandalls, argued the victim endured physical and psychological trauma that likely has scarred her for life.

Since Justin Crandall's methamphetamine addiction fueled the crimes along with Jessica Crandall's inability to distance herself from an abusive relationship and her own substance-abuse problems, 15-year prison terms would have been appropriate, the couple's defense teams countered.

The investigation began Feb. 11, 2017, after a witness reported receiving an image depicting a female toddler engaged in a sex act, which Justin Crandall had sent via cellphone.

FBI and state police investigators searched the Crandall home in Sidney, N.Y., about 135 miles northwest of New York City, and investigators found sexually explicit videos and images on the phone.

The child's mother also told police that she noticed changes in her daughter's behavior along with unexplained injuries. The Crandalls had been babysitting the child since around Thanksgiving 2016.

Despite a chaotic childhood, Justin Crandall had no history of past violent behavior or other red flags common among sex offenders, Courtenay McKeon, assistant federal public defender, said Wednesday.

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The meth addiction so affected his mind that she said it steered him to commit the crimes and draw his wife into it.

"No one is disputing that what Justin did is terribly serious," McKeon said in court. "What happened here is so aberrational from the way Justin has lived his life. He clearly needs some type of mental-health help and substance-abuse treatment."

Although Justin Crandall's drug problems were well documented, his choices to victimize someone incapable of doing anything for herself were so inhuman that it's difficult for anyone to comprehend, said Lovric, the prosecutor.

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Lovric described some of the crimes captured on video as "nothing but torture."

"Every so often, there are really bad people who do evil crimes," Lovric said. "I don't think this defendant is evil ... but this defendant did some evil acts."

In October, Justin Crandall pleaded guilty to three felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

Given a chance to speak Wednesday, Justin Crandall apologized to the victim's mother, who left the courtroom sobbing before he could finish his statement.

"I take full responsibility and accountability for my actions," he said. "I've already been sentenced to life. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about the damage I've done to my victim."

Jessica Crandall, who pleaded guilty to felony counts of conspiracy to sexually exploit a child and sexual exploitation of a child, showed little emotion at Wednesday's sentencing. She sat in a chair, staring blankly at the defense table while her lawyer urged leniency.

Defense lawyer Kimberly Zimmer told McAvoy that her client had defense for this type of crime and knows what she did was wrong.

"She is not the same as Justin Crandall," Zimmer said. "She is a person worth saving."

The couple had three children together, all of whom are in the care of another family member.

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In a statement that her lawyer read, Jessica Crandall expressed remorse for her crime: "There are so many things I wish I could go back and change."

Investigators did not have enough evidence to determine that Jessica Crandall participated in all of the abusive acts, but the prosecution held that she ignored every opportunity to stop it.

Jessica Crandall had once replied to her husband's text message, saying she wasn't stupid enough to leave any marks on the toddler, Lovric said.

► November 2016: Man raped young brothers, muffled assault with pacifier, cops say
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Before handing down Jessica Crandall's 25-year sentence, McAvoy told her that he was satisfied she was capable of child abuse without her husband's influence.

Then McAvoy left her with a message to contemplate during her time behind bars: "You did not care for the child's well-being, you only cared for yourself."

The victim's mother had been visibly distraught during the roughly two hours of sentencing proceedings.

But after hearing the penalties for Justin and Jessica Crandall, her face bore an  expression of relief.

Follow Anthony Borrelli on Twitter: @PSBABorrelli

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