Flint, Michigan – A man accused of inflicting pain and potentially killing others by hiring them in exchange for cryptocurrency is likely to face trial later this month.
Steven Christopher Craven, 58, is scheduled to appear before Genesee County Circuit Court Judge David J. Newblatt for a single felony trial of abetting murder on May 31.
If convicted, Mr. Craven, who remains in Genesee County Jail, faces a life sentence.
“The allegations are ridiculous,” said Michael Ewing, an attorney representing Craven. “The witness who claimed this was a commissioned murder (conspiracy) was furious with my client over a private property dispute. When he failed to take the property from my client, suddenly, A suspicion of commissioned murder was raised.
“Witnesses testified that Mr. Craven was hired to orchestrate the murder and fabricated the story in retaliation,” Ewing added. “In the meantime, Mr. Craven’s life has been turned upside down and he is very much looking forward to the day of his trial.”
Related: Man testifies that Barton provided money to harm business partners
Craven’s case leads to an investigation by the Michigan State Police.
According to a statement included in the Michigan State Police report, Craven has previously offered victims increasing amounts of cryptocurrency, depending on the severity of the physical harm inflicted on them, if it caused a death. had the highest payouts, with lower amounts for causing “serious bodily harm.”
read more: Michigan man offers thousands of dollars in virtual currency for “physical harm” to business partners: police report
At an earlier hearing, Craven’s business associate, Macon Morgan, accused Craven and a man named Joshua Barrett of planning to set fire to Vehicle City Social, a cannabis-friendly private lounge, against the victim. He testified that he had been warned. . Craven and the victim were business partners of Vehicle City Social.
Morgan said Craven had discussed setting fire to the building in May 2021, but was later told to postpone due to discrepancies in the company’s insurance coverage. After those discussions, Morgan said things escalated to the point where Craven wanted to kill the victim.
Another man, Keith Boe, testified that Craven had spoken about how he believed victims were to blame for the financial hardships compounded by his business. He also said that Craven no longer wants to be a co-owner of Vehicle City Social.
Bo said he overheard a conversation in which Craven allegedly told Barrett he wanted the victim to “be removed from the public eye.”
Craven was arrested in April and held at the Genesee County Jail on charges of abetting murder.
Barrett was also initially charged, but prosecutors later dismissed his charges.
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