Richard Dale Crum

Richard Dale Crum was born in January 1970 and raised in Rock Falls, Illinois, a small city in Whiteside County. Throughout his life, Crum reportedly lived in several towns across Illinois before relocating to Coldwater, Mississippi, a small rural community just outside Arkabutla in Tate County. He was 52 years old at the time of the shootings.

Little has been publicly disclosed about Crum’s early life, education, or employment history. However, a family friend told CBS News that Crum had a documented history of mental illness. No specifics were made public about the nature or treatment of his condition, but this aspect of his background has been raised in news coverage as a possible factor in the violent events that would later unfold. Crum's family connections in Mississippi included a former wife, a stepfather, and extended relatives, all of whom became tragically central to the crimes committed in 2023.

On the late morning of February 17, 2023, a horrific shooting spree began in the small community of Arkabutla, Mississippi, leaving six people dead and one person injured. At around 11:00 a.m., Richard Dale Crum pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store known as the Express Mart gas station. Without warning, Crum opened fire on a vehicle parked nearby. One man inside the car was fatally shot, though he had no known connection to the suspect. A second person in the vehicle was unharmed.

Following this seemingly random killing, Crum drove to the home of his ex-wife, Debra Crum, located nearby. There, he fatally shot her. In the same incident, he struck her fiancé with a gun, though he did not open fire on him. After leaving the residence, Crum drove to a property located behind the house where he shot and killed his stepfather, George McCain (73), and his stepfather’s sister, Lynda McCain (78).

Crum continued the rampage by driving to a road behind his own residence, where he shot and killed two men, identified as Charles Manuel (76) and John Rorie (59). Both were reportedly related to Crum's stepfather and were present at the property to assist with roof repairs. Three of the six victims were directly related to Crum or connected through family ties, while others appeared to be chosen at random or killed in proximity to the targeted attacks.

A sheriff's deputy responding to the spree located a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s car. After a failed attempt to pull the vehicle over, the deputy followed it to a driveway that turned out to be Crum’s home. There, Crum attempted to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended and placed under arrest.

Crum was booked and charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors in the case announced that they intend to pursue the death penalty. As of the most recent updates, Crum remains in custody and is awaiting trial. No public statement has been released by Crum, and he has not yet entered a plea. The case has drawn national attention due to both the randomness of some of the murders and the familial nature of others, with ongoing discussions around mental health and access to firearms in rural America.