Crystal River woman sentenced to life in prison for husband's murder
Mugshot of Crites- Worley courtesy of CCSO.
Citrus County, Florida - Late Monday afternoon, Dec. 12, 2022, 52 year-old Victrina Marie Crites-Worley, of Crystal River, Florida was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, for the first degree murder of her husband, 77 year-old Lawrence Howard Worley, Sr. She entered a guilty plea on October 4, 2022. The Honorable Carol Falvey, Fifth Judicial Circuit Court Administrative Judge, presided over the lengthy hearing, which ended with the sentencing, just before 6:00 p.m., Dec. 12.
On March 30, 2020, deputies went to a residence in Crystal River to conduct a well-being check, and they first made contact with an injured woman, later identified as Crites-Worley, before finding the body of a man on the property as they continued their security check. The man was identified as 77 year-old Lawrence Howard Worley, Sr., the husband of Mrs. Crites-Worley. Crites-Worley was hospitalized for her injuries, as detectives continued their investigation into Mr. Worley's murder, with Crites-Worley considered a person of interest. Upon her release from the hospital, detectives questioned her and determined that she was responsible for the first-degree murder of her husband.
"Justice was served, thanks to the professional collaboration between CCSO Major Crimes detectives and prosecutors from the Fifth Judicial Circuit," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "From the very beginning, our team worked hard on piecing together this heinous puzzle of a crime. Once we solved this case, prosecutors at the state's attorney's office worked just as hard to ensure Crites-Worley received the sentence she deserved."