Falls teen indicted in homicide

Rick Pfeiffer, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·2 min read

May 13—LOCKPORT — A Falls teen has been indicted by a Niagara County grand jury for the slaying of another teen in Gluck Park on April 8.

The grand jury handed up a one-count indictment of Xavier M. Crayton, 19, charging him with a single count of second-degree murder. Crayton pleaded not guilty to the charge and Niagara County Court Judge Caroline Wojtaszek ordered him held in lieu of bail of $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond or $1 million partially secured bond.

First Assistant District Attorney Doreen Hoffmann had asked Wojtaszek to jail Crayton without bail, citing what she called the strength of the case against him.

Crayton was taken into custody April 20 by members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Felony Fugitive Task Force at a home in Buffalo. Falls Police Criminal Investigation Division detectives and task force agents had been hunting for Crayton for more than a week.

He had been the prime suspect in the stabbing that took the life of Xaviar Travis. Investigators believed that Crayton fled from the Falls after the attack that took Travis' life.

Sources said the investigation of the murder was initially stymied by a lack of cooperation by some potential witnesses. However, detectives were eventually able to gather sufficient evidence linking Crayton to the crime.

Despite commenting on the strength of the case, Hoffmann offered no details during the arraignment.

Patrol officers had been dispatched to a call of a disturbance just after 10 p.m. on April 8 at the park on 16th Street near Weston Avenue and found Travis' body lying in the street. The initial call indicated that a large group of people were fighting and a man was "on the ground bleeding."

First officers on the scene said Travis, 19, was "unresponsive" when they arrived. Initial reports from the scene indicated that Travis and others had been involved in a "dice game" when a fight over money involved in the game erupted.

Travis was reported to have suffered a single serious stab wound. Niagara Falls firefighters and EMTs spent close to 10 minutes performing CPR on Travis before rushing him to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

He was pronounced dead from his wound a short time after his arrival at Memorial.

Recommended Stories

  • Jaleel White says Family Matters cast was not welcoming to Urkel at first

    Steve Urkel is something of the anti-Fonzi or a cool Screech, depending on your interpretation. The annoying next-door neighbor of the Winslow family for 215 episodes of Family Matters, Jaleel White’s Urkel ruined parties, Christmases, family gatherings, an episode of American Gladiators, a trip to outer space, and his school’s chemistry lab (allegedly). He was also the show’s breakout star, inspiring toys, lunchboxes, and catchphrases like “Did I do that? and “Got any cheese?” (That last one made him the bane of parents of six-year-olds everywhere). But apparently, the Winslows weren’t only sick of Steve on the show; they were tired of him in real life, too.

  • Biden administration takes credit for reducing hunger, pushes for permanent changes

    “The Rescue Plan is delivering food and nutrition assistance to millions of Americans facing hunger,” Biden said of his COVID relief bill.

  • Newsom recall rival Kevin Faulconer proposes eliminating state income tax for some Californians

    Californians making $50,000 or less and families making less than $100,000 would pay no state income tax under Faulconer plan.

  • Mosques disappear as China strives to 'build a beautiful Xinjiang'

    The Jiaman mosque in the city of Qira, in the far western Chinese region of Xinjiang, is hidden behind high walls and Communist Party propaganda signs, leaving passersby with no indication that it is home to a religious site. In late April, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, two ethnic Uyghur women sat behind a tiny mesh grate, underneath a surveillance camera, inside the compound of what had long been the city's largest place of worship. Within minutes of reporters arriving, four men in plain clothes showed up and took up positions around the site, locking gates to nearby residential buildings.

  • Palestinians celebrate Eid amid Israel-Gaza conflict

    Israel prepared ground troops along the Gaza border on Thursday (May 13) as Hamas launched rocket barrages at Israel as international calls mounted for an end to the region's fiercest hostilities in years.At least 72 people have been killed in Gaza since violence escalated on Monday (May 10), medics said, further straining hospitals already under heavy pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven people have been killed in Israel, its military said.

  • Former White House counsel Don McGahn has agreed to a closed-door interview with lawmakers on Trump's alleged attempts to block the Russia investigation

    The House Judiciary Committee said it had reached an agreement with McGahn for him to do a private but transcribed interview.

  • 2 climbers, an American and a Swiss, have died on Everest after suffering snow blindness and exhaustion

    Everest organizers told Agence France-Presse the two climbers died Wednesday. They are the first deaths of this year's climbing season.

  • Nowhere to run: Fear in Gaza grows amid conflict with Israel

    Screams and flying debris enveloped Umm Majed al-Rayyes as explosions hurled her from her bed in Gaza City. Groping in the dark, the 50-year-old grabbed her four children and ran as Israeli bombs struck their apartment building Wednesday, shattering windows, ripping doors to splinters and blasting away concrete. While casualties mounted this week in the most severe outbreak of violence between Israel and the Gaza Strip since a 2014 war, al-Rayyes and other Palestinians in the line of fire faced an all-too-familiar question: Where should we go?

  • Matt Damon says the world doesn't need to 'mourn the death' of the Golden Globes after diversity criticism

    The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has faced criticism for its lack of diversity after it was revealed that none of its 86 members are Black.

  • Israel's Iron Dome has blocked some 90% of rockets fired by Hamas, limiting the impact of one of its biggest-ever barrages

    Israel's Iron Dome has helped it withstand the bulk of Hamas' recent barrages, using computer-guided interceptors that cost around $40,000 each.

  • Ohio offering shot at $1 million to vaccinated people in state lottery

    Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) on Wednesday announced multiple monetary incentives for residents who get vaccinated for COVID-19 as he lifted pandemic health orders statewide.Why it matters: DeWine noted that 42% of Ohioans have been fully vaccinated. The incentive programs align with a drop in vaccine demand in recent weeks.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeIn April, more than 80,000 people sought vaccines on a weekly basis. That figure has now dropped to about 16,500, per CNBC.How it works: A weekly drawing for adults who have received "at least" their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will span five weeks, and each winner will receive $1 million. DeWine said people who've gotten the vaccine will be eligible to win, which will be paid for by federal coronavirus funds.Of note: Among vaccinated 12- to 17-year-olds, DeWine said the government will hold a drawing for a full scholarship to a four-year state college, and will pay for "tuition, room-and-board, and books."The first drawing will take place in two weeks with a single winner. There will be a total of five scholarship drawings, benefiting five hopeful students.What he's saying: "The pool of names for the 'Ohio Vax-a-Million' drawing will be derived from the Ohio Secretary of State's publicly available voter registration database," DeWine said in a statement, adding that further details will be available in the coming days."I know that some may say, 'DeWine, you're crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,'" he continued."But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic — when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who want it — is a life lost to COVID-19."The big picture: Other states have pushed incentives for residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, with West Virginia offering $100 saving bonds to 16- to 35-year-olds. But Ohio would provide the biggest payout by far.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

  • Biden says "Israel has a right to defend itself," expresses hope conflict will end soon

    President Biden told reporters Wednesday it's his "expectation and hope" that there will soon be an end to fighting between Israel and Hamas, which has killed scores of Palestinians and several Israelis.What they're saying: Biden, after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that he hoped the conflict would be "closing down sooner than later," despite Israel's government announcing plans to scale up its military offensive.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeBiden added that "Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory."In a call with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday, Secretary of State Tony Blinken "expressed his condolences for the lives lost" in the violence and condemned the Hamas rocket attacks, according to a statement from State Department spokesperson Ned Price.Along with calling for an end to the violence, Blinken "expressed his belief that Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal measures of freedom, dignity, security and prosperity," per Price.Of note: Comments by Biden and members of his administration have angered progressives in his Democratic Party, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) who called it "wrong."She tweeted that "blanket statements like these" with "little context or acknowledgement of what precipitated this cycle" of violence "dehumanize Palestinians" and imply the U.S. will "look the other way at human rights violations," pointing to the "expulsions of Palestinians and attacks on Al Aqsa" Mosque.What to watch: Per Axios' Barak Ravid, the Israeli security cabinet approved Wednesday military plans for broadening the operation against Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza.Why it matters: Israeli officials said there is no deadline for ending the operation but it will focus for now on air strikes with no ground forces.For the record: Netanyahu said at the cabinet meeting that Israel doesn’t want a cease fire at the moment, per Ravid.Both Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi added that the international community understands the Israel's actions and doesn’t put pressure on ending the operation for now.Go deeper: Casualties pile up with no signs of ceasefire from Israel, HamasLike this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

  • $1 million for getting the COVID vaccine? Ohio is offering huge prize in new lottery

    Five $1 million winners will be selected in as many weeks.

  • AOC slams Biden for defending Israeli airstrikes, saying his statements 'dehumanize Palestinians' and could fuel violence

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized President Biden for saying Israel "has a right to defend itself," arguing it would encourage violence.

  • 'I Don’t Think You’re Going to Be Eating Tonight.' Muslims Describe Ramadan in U.S. Prisons

    For many Muslim prisoners in Virginia and nationwide, Ramadan has for years entailed not getting enough food, being lucky if food even arrives during a time when you can eat, jumping through hoops to possess religious items as well as fundamental misunderstandings about key components of the faith by prison staff.

  • Two planes collide in Colorado sky — but no one was injured, officials say. How?

    Everyone walked away uninjured, officials said.

  • Ellen DeGeneres' show is done. And fans think Dakota Johnson 'threw the first brick'

    Does it matter that Dakota Johnson's tense Ellen DeGeneres interview didn't bring about the end of the host's talk show? Not to folks on social media.

  • 'Core' inflation just jumped the most since 1982 - here's what that means

    Core inflation, which excludes food and gas prices, surged in April by the most since 1982. The one-month climb is a sign of true economic reopening.

  • The farthest spacecraft from Earth has detected a 'hum' in the space beyond our solar system

    The Voyager 1 probe left our solar system nearly a decade ago. It recently detected a faint hum made by interstellar gas.

  • Students for Trump founder accused of posing as NYC lawyer while in NC gets prison

    John Lambert, who co-founded the national group, attended Campbell University in North Carolina.