Youth Indicted on Murder Count in Prom Night Shooting of Teen-Ager
SANTA ANA — The Orange County Grand Jury on Friday returned a murder indictment against Paul Michael Crowder in the prom night shooting of a La Crescenta high school basketball player, prosecutors said.
Crowder, 19, is accused of fatally shooting Berlyn Cosman, 17, a standout basketball player for Crescenta Valley High School. Cosman was shot on June 1 as she slept on a couch in an Anaheim hotel room, where she had gone with several friends after their senior prom.
Crowder, a former high school football player, had been acquainted with Cosman, according to friends, and had played basketball with her in several pick-up games.
Friends of Crowder who were at the scene have said the shooting was accidental. But prosecutors said Crowder had waved a gun wildly and threatened to shoot others that evening.
On June 19, Crowder pleaded innocent to murder charges but was held in lieu of $250,000 bail.
The action will circumvent a possibly lengthy preliminary hearing, and send the case directly to the Orange County Superior Court for arraignment on Monday.
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