Man charged in arson killing will argue for bail

Man charged in arson killing will argue for bail

(Salt Lake County Jail)


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SALT LAKE CITY — A bail hearing was set Wednesday for a man accused of aggravated murder for allegedly setting his estranged husband's house ablaze.

Craig Crawford, 47, appeared in court Monday, and his attorneys argued that bail should be set for the man who faces charges of aggravated murder and aggravated arson, first-degree felonies. That hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8.

Aggravated murder carries a potential death penalty in Utah.

Prosecutors allege Crawford intentionally set the fire May 22, killing prominent restaurateur John Williams, 72, who had filed for divorce and sought a restraining order earlier in the month. After starting the blaze, Crawford wandered to a neighbor's house and then sprayed water on trees and plants at his house as the fire burned and consumed Williams, investigators say.

The fire started in the foyer on the second floor of the four-story house at 574 N. East Capitol St. in the early morning hours, according to charging documents. The blaze rendered the stairway to the upper levels unusable, trapping Williams in the fourth level bedroom where he died of smoke inhalation.

Williams was the president of Gastronomy Inc., which operates the popular Market Street Grill, Market Street Oyster Bar and the New Yorker restaurants. He restored and renovated old buildings and founded the Downtown Alliance while championing the local arts, Salt Lake City's Olympic bid and other community organizations.

The Deseret News and KSL have asked the court to unseal case files regarding the divorce and denied protective orders, routinely private records under a rule the Utah Judicial Council adopted in 2012, arguing that the public's constitutional right of access to court records is not subservient to a judicial rule.

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