This article has been updated with details from the hearing.
ROCKVILLE, Md. - Benjamin Sifrit, convicted in connection with the 2002 murders and dismemberment of a Virginia couple in Ocean City, appeared for a hearing in Montgomery County as he seeks a reduced sentence under Maryland's Second Look Act.
During the hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Sifrit’s public defender argued he is not a danger to the public and that modifying his 38-year sentence would be in the interest of justice, said NBC affiliate WBAL.
Sifrit’s attorney called a corrections maintenance supervisor as a witness. The supervisor described Sifrit as trustworthy and a hard worker outside the prison fence. According to WBAL, Sifrit has maintained a clean conduct record and accumulated enough good-time credits to be released in December 2027. The defense said Sifrit’s parents would support him as he transitions back into society and that he would seek work in construction.
Worcester County prosecutors opposed a sentence modification, telling the judge Ocean City residents remain horrified by the killings of Joshua Ford and Martha Crutchley. Prosecutors argued Sifrit is not eligible for relief under the Second Look Act and said a sentence modification could allow him to leave prison within days.
WBAL reports two relatives of the victims also testified remotely, describing the lasting grief caused by the murders and recounting details of the killings. Prosecutors said the murders were cold and calculated and that the victims’ families have never received an apology.
The judge did not issue a ruling from the bench and said a written decision would be issued.
The hearing followed a Feb. 18 order granting a hearing on Sifrit’s Second Look petition. Sifrit filed the petition in late September 2025 in another attempt to secure an early release.
Maryland’s Second Look Act allows certain people serving lengthy prison sentences for crimes committed when they were young adults to petition a court for a sentence reduction if they meet eligibility requirements.
Sifrit was denied parole in 2022.
Benjamin Sifrit and his then-wife, Erika Sifrit, were convicted in connection with the killings of Ford and Crutchley over Memorial Day weekend in 2002. The couple was killed and dismembered inside an Ocean City condominium.
Benjamin Sifrit admitted helping dispose of the victims’ bodies. The Sifrits were later caught while attempting to break into a Hooters restaurant, and authorities found the victims’ identification in Erika Sifrit’s purse.
Benjamin Sifrit was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 38 years in prison. Erika Sifrit was sentenced to life plus 20 years for the murders.

