High-level drug trafficking suspect eyed in woman's Hill District shooting death

Federal authorities on Thursday confirmed a connection between a high-level drug trafficking suspect and the hit-style slaying of Tina Crawford outside her Hill District home last year.

In a criminal complaint filed in Ohio on unrelated charges, federal officials noted that DNA on a cellphone dropped at the murder scene Aug. 22, 2014, is consistent with that of 35-year-old Price Montgomery.

Crawford, 34, died from a spray of bullets in the entrance of a basement garage on a home she shared with her mother, Patsy Crawford, on Cherokee Street. Nearly 30 shots were fired. Patsy Crawford was injured but recovered. Tina Crawford was struck 10 times, including three times in the back of the head, according to police.

No charges have been filed in the slaying.

U.S. Attorney David Hickton wouldn't comment, saying only that the investigation is ongoing. Patsy Crawford could not be reached.

Crawford's family said in the days after her death that she was cooperating with the government regarding an investigation into drug trafficking, but she shared no details with them.

The complaint filed by Pittsburgh ATF Agent Maurice J. Ferentino in Ohio states that Crawford was cooperating with investigators from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, both of which were looking into a heroin trafficking organization they believed was headed by Montgomery.

The day she was shot, Tina Crawford was scheduled to meet with her Downtown attorney at 4 p.m. and then go to a 4:30 meeting at the U.S. Attorney's Office, according to Ferentino. Patsy Crawford planned to drive her daughter to the meetings.

About 3:21 p.m., the pair attempted to leave their home and was attacked.

Pittsburgh police were called to the Crawford home, where they found both women lying on the floor of the garage.

Witnesses told Pittsburgh police they saw two black men wearing hooded sweatshirts run from the scene, get in a waiting silver SUV and flee, according to Ferentino.

A Verizon cellphone found at the scene yielded fingerprints and DNA, and the DNA “was found to be consistent with the DNA profile of Price Montgomery,” he wrote.

Filed Oct. 30 in Ohio, the complaint alleges Montgomery was intent on eliminating anyone who might be willing to talk to police or testify against him in court.

Montgomery was arrested in February in Columbus on federal drug charges. He has been in the Northeast Ohio Correction Center since then.

According to the complaint, a confidential informant housed in the same cell as Montgomery described a series of conversations he had with Montgomery, who wanted the informant — once he was released — to kill potential witnesses. The informant wore a wire.

“Montgomery, who was visibly concerned, explained to the (informant) that Tina Crawford, who was cooperating with law enforcement, possessed information to connect the narcotics conspiracy between he and his cousin,” a New Jersey drug supplier, Ferentino wrote in the complaint. “Montgomery further explained to the (informant) that he dropped his cellular telephone during the Crawford killing, and it was recovered by law enforcement and found to contain his DNA.”

The informant told police he and Montgomery spoke often about the Crawford killing, often referring to it as “the situation,” as Montgomery feared his cellphone was being monitored by police.

Montgomery allegedly asked the informant to kill a number of associates he thought might turn on him, including one intended victim immediately, because he was actively cooperating with police regarding a money laundering investigation involving him, Montgomery said. Montgomery subsequently told the informant to solicit another associate to kill that intended victim, according to the complaint.

Montgomery instructed the informant to gauge whether Montgomery's brother-in-law would “hold up,” and if not, to kill him, because, “It's better to be safe than sorry,” Montgomery allegedly said.

Montgomery asked the informant to kill a woman and her heroin-trafficker boyfriend, according to the complaint. Montgomery indicated the woman was working with law enforcement.

Montgomery is charged with two counts of solicitation to commit a violent crime.

Staff writer Brian Bowling contributed to this report. Megan Guza is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-380-8519 or mguza@tribweb.com.