See family members angrily confront 3 men who executed couple in Syracuse apartment (video)

Syracuse, N.Y. ― The loved ones of two people executed in their home were allowed to confront the convicted killers at an emotional sentencing Wednesday.

Family members cried, yelled and insulted the men found guilty of murdering Alexis Sellin, 32, and her boyfriend, Jamie Crawford, 46, in their apartment at 3101 Burnet Ave. in 2022.

Three men — LaShawn Dixon, 47, Donnell Thornton, 30, and Jamel Weston, 49 ― were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the maximum sentence they could face for a double homicide.

Sellin’s disabled 6-year-old son was left alone in the apartment with the bodies for days. The boy, Markese Smalls Jr., was found alive, but badly dehydrated. He is blind, paraplegic and non-verbal.

Markese was brought to the sentencing in his wheelchair by Sellin’s parents.

Michael White, Sellin’s father, yelled at the men to look at Markese. He urged Judge Matthew Doran to look at the boy when deciding on a sentence for the three men.

Sellin’s mother, Melissa Sellin, also spoke directly to the men, saying she knows exactly who they are.

The men’s defense attorneys objected to Sellin’s parents addressing their clients directly rather than the court.

Sellin’s mother told them to “shut up” and said they had heard enough from them over the three years the case has been making its way through court.

Crawford’s mother, Michelle Henderson, told the court how much she and her family have struggled since her son’s murder. She cried as she told the court she contemplated suicide.

Dixon, the only defendant who chose to speak at the sentencing, said that while he understands the families’ pain, he did not commit this murder.

All three of the men’s defense attorneys said they planned to appeal the conviction.

Dixon and Weston’s attorneys told the court they did not believe the verdict was correct and was a miscarriage of justice.

Doran disagreed with the attorneys. He said he believes the verdict was supported by the evidence.

As Doran read the sentence of life without the possibility of parole, the victim’s loved ones clapped. Some thanked the judge as they left the courtroom.

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Jami Crawford’s obituary

Alexis “Lexi” Sellin’s obituary

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