HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A mover said he is traumatized afterbeing inside a home when a former Henrico Police officer allegedly killed his wife and stepdaughter.
The mover, who asked to remain anonymous, said he could tell his client and her husband, Diane and Richard Crowder, had been arguing before they arrived.
He said they didn't hear them arguing when they arrived, but tension could be felt in the air.
Just 30 minutes later, when the movers had only two pieces left in the home to take out, he described actions that were something out of a horror movie.
He recounted hearing screaming, yelling and cursing. Then, suddenly, he heard gunshots, followed by a heavy silence.
“I started panicking, scared, not knowing if he was going to go upstairs. I knew I had to get out of there,” he said.
One of the movers then locked the door of the upstairs room they were in, while the other mover opened and busted through the screen of the window.
The two then decided it was worth the risk to jump out the window to escape. One mover was injured when he hit an air conditioning unit on the two-story jump down.
The two then ran through the woods trying to escape, calling the police as they continued to hear gunshots. Police were able to provide them refuge when they arrived and took them away from the scene.
“I couldn’t believe something like that happened,” he said.
Crowder surrendered to officials after nine hours, after which police would find Crowder's wife and stepdaughter shot to death inside the home.
Learning that information, the movers find the whole ordeal traumatizing, as they recall shaking hands with their client just 30 minutes before she was killed.
“I know I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t jump because the standoff was nine hours. I know he walked around the house plenty of times. I know he remembered we were in there,” said the mover.
The family of Diane Crowder said she was leaving an abusive situation. She told her family she had been taking things out of the home little by little, and reportedly said her husband had been "acting crazy."
The moving company said this situation should be a reminder of how real domestic abuse can be. They encourage people in this type of situation to call the police for help the second they start to have a bad feeling a move may turn ugly.
Crowder is facing six felony charges and is being held without bail.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
