SNOW HILL, Md - 17 year old Vershawn Hudson-Crawford was sentenced on September 11 in the Worcester County Circuit Court, to serve 35 years in the Division of Correction, with all but 22 years suspended for the second degree murder of Dehaven Nichols. Judge Brian Shockley ordered Hudson-Crawford to be evaluated for admission into the youthful offender program within the Division of Correction. In January of 2020, the Berlin teenager pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Nichols.
The death occurred on May 20, 2019 when Hudson-Crawford got into a fight with Nichols. Two days later, Hudson-Crawford and his mother drove to the Berlin Police Department to describe what happened. Hudson-Crawford told investigators that Nichols body was at a tax ditch on the east side of Route 113 near the Decatur Apartments in Berlin. An autopsy determined that Nichols’ death was caused by a combination of multiple significant injuries, including blunt force trauma, strangulation and asphyxiation.
"This case presented a true tragedy which will continue to affect the youngest members of our community for years to come," State’s Attorney Kris Heiser said. "The violent and needless killing of Dehaven Nichols, a 17-year-old with his whole life ahead of him, is cause for immense sadness, and we offer our sincere condolences to his family and to everyone suffering from his loss."
Upon release, Hudson-Crawford will be on supervised probation for 5 years, and was ordered to be evaluated for mental health and substance abuse treatment.