Reno, NV: Reno man accused of strangling ex-wife

BY Jaclyn O'Malley • jomalley@rgj.com• March
15, 2011

In the months before a 57-year-old Reno man
allegedly strangled his ex-wife, he told a neighbor
during several drunken rants that he plotted to kill
her, and had been stalking the much younger
woman, according to court records.

Steven Anthony on Thursday was arrested on
suspicion of murdering his ex-wife, Christina
Crowley, 34, who died earlier in the day after her
family removed her from life support. He remains in
the Washoe County Jail without bail.

Court records show the couple divorced in
December, and Crowley had a 9-year-old daughter.

Police had been called to Anthony's motel room in
the 600 block of West Fourth Street the morning of
March 7 after neighbors reported hearing Crowley's
blood curdling screams and cries for help.

Officers found Anthony on top of Crowley on the
ground in his room at the Desert Rose Inn, where
Crowley had gone to pick up food he didn't want
from a community assistance program, according to
an arrest affidavit. She had gone to his room after
she dropped her daughter off at school, police said.

During an interview with police, Anthony claimed
self defense after Crowley allegedly punched him
when he tried to kiss her on the cheek, the affidavit
said.

He then said he blacked out after he fell on top of
her and didn't mean to cause her death. Anthony is
6-feet-tall and weights 225 pounds, while Crowley
was 5-foot-2-inches tall and weighed 130 pounds.

A neighbor told police that Anthony had been
depressed about his divorce, and several times after
drinking alcohol made statements about murdering
Crowley.

"(The neighbor) said Mr. Anthony had told him that
it would be a lot easier if he killed his wife, and if he
got caught, 'oh well,'" the affidavit said. "...in one
conversation he said he would wait until a night Ms.
Crowley did not have her daughter, get her drunk
and strangle her in bed.
"...in another conversation Mr. Anthony told (the
neighbor) that he was going to wait until he found
Ms. Crowley with another man and he would kill
both subjects so he could claim it was a crime of
passion," the court record said.

When detectives asked Anthony about those
statements, he said "I knew those comments would c
ome back to haunt me," the affidavit said.