A 20-year-old Klamath Falls man faces a criminal indictment today with two counts of murder and an attempted murder charge.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — A 20-year-old Klamath Falls man faces a criminal indictment today with two counts of murder and an attempted murder charge.
A Klamath County grand jury indicted Elijah Albert Croy yesterday for the deaths of two sisters last weekend and the attempted murder of their father.
Klamath Falls police say they arrested Croy within a few feet of the murder victims Saturday, with a Klamath Falls Police Department officer noting, “Croy admitted to me he had shot and killed both … using a Glock style handgun he had purchased in individual parts and then assembled into a working handgun himself. He stated he had done this after he had attempted to murder the girl’s father … who had discovered him inside of his daughter’s bedroom.”
The indictment charges Croy with the deaths of a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old sister at the home in east Klamath Falls. NewsWatch 12 is not identifying the victims based on the minor involved in the case.
It also charges Croy with attempted murder of their father. The police probable cause statement for Croy’s arrest says he tried to shoot the father, “but his handgun failed to fire after he pulled the trigger.”
The state’s prosecutor, Klamath County District Attorney David Schutt, filed a notice with the Klamath County Circuit Court that the State plans to apply “enhancement fact” to the case. In Oregon, “enhancement fact” refers to a fact that is constitutionally required to be found by a jury to increase the jail sentence that may be imposed upon conviction of a crime.
The Klamath Tribes say the tribal community is in deep mourning from the murder of those sisters while seeking justice.
“The Klamath Tribes has continued to experience an unprecedented amount of violent crime, and many of these crimes do not appear to be properly investigated, prosecuted, and addressed,” the Klamath Tribes Council expressed in a joint statement. “This most recent murder must be immediately and fully investigated, holding any and all criminals accountable for their crimes.”
The Klamath Tribes quoted the sisters’ father offering his appreciation for tribal support, “I would like to thank everyone for the support, love, and prayers that we have received,” he said. “There are no words to express how I feel about the loss of my daughters and the love that I feel from our community. This has shattered me to the core, and I never want anyone to have to feel the pain that I am feeling at this time. If there is a time to come together – now is that time. We can’t allow this to keep happening in our communities. We need to pull together and pull our resources together and protect our youth. We need to turn this into something positive and not let the passing of my children be in vain.”
Klamath Tribal Council Secretary Roberta Frost stated, “This happens too often,” and Klamath Tribes Treasurer Brandi Hatcher said, “I want to see supreme justice for these two Indigenous sisters.”
Tribal Council Member at Large Leslie Anderson wants greater awareness to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) awareness movement, saying, “We have a responsibility moving forward. Under new tribal leadership, we are advocating for justice for all of our tribal community who fall victim to violence and senseless crimes.”
“The Klamath Tribes must continue to stand strong in unity and prayer for the victims and their families,” stated the Klamath Tribes Council. “Law enforcement must take these crimes against Tribal Members seriously and prosecute these criminals aggressively.”
The grand jury also indicted Croy for three counts of unlawful use of a weapon for handgun usage.
The Court set Croy’s arraignment for the indictment at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, 2024.