OCEAN CITY, Md. - WBOC has learned that Benjamin Sifrit, convicted of 2nd degree murder in the 2002 killing and dismemberment of a Virginia couple in Ocean City, is seeking a reduced sentence under a recently-passed law in Maryland.
Sifrit, along with his then-wife Erika Sifrit, was convicted of murdering Joshua Ford and Martha Crutchley in an Ocean City condo over Memorial Day Weekend in 2002. Erika Sifrit was sentenced to life plus 20 years for the murders. Benjamin Sifrit was sentenced to 38 years. In 2022, he was denied parole.
In late September of 2025, Sifrit officially filed another attempt at an early release, this time under Maryland’s Second Look Act.
2002 murders
On Saturday, May 25, 2002, the Sifrits met Ford and Crutchley on a bus on their way to Seacrets in Ocean City, according to prosecutors. The two couples spent the evening together at the popular nightclub before returning to the Sifrits’ condo. Though the Sifrit’s gave largely different accounts of the incident during their trials, at some point in the early hours of May 26, both Ford and Crutchley were killed in the condo’s bathroom.
Benjamin Sifrit testified that it was his idea to then dismember the bodies. The victims’ body parts were placed in trash bags, and the Sifrits then placed the remains in a dumpster in Rehoboth Beach, according to court documents.
The Sifrits were arrested while burglarizing an Ocean City restaurant days later on May 31. The IDs of Ford and Crutchley were found to be in Erika Sifrit’s possession.
In 2003, Benjamin Sifrit was found guilty of second degree murder, first degree assault, and accessory after the fact. Erika Sifrit was convicted of first degree murder, two counts of second degree murder, second degree burglary, and multiple misdemeanor counts.
Maryland Second Look Act
Passed in April of 2025, the Second Look Act allows defendants who were younger than 25 at the time of an offense and who have served more than 20 years to request a reduced sentence. Sifrit was 24 at the time of the murders.
Under the Second Look Act, a Maryland court can grant a reduction if the court finds the person is no longer a danger to the public, and that the “interests of justice will be better served by a reduced sentence,” according to the Assistant State’s Attorney for Worcester County.
The court must weigh 11 different factors in determining if a sentence reduction is warranted under the Second Look Act including nature of the offense, compliance with rules while incarcerated, demonstration of rehabilitation, and the extent of the person’s role in the offense.
Sifrit’s petition
On September 26, Sifrit filed his petition for a reduced sentence in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, arguing he played a limited role in the killings, had made significant changes as a person, and has nearly completed his sentence.
Though sentenced to 38 years, Sifrit says he has collected 12 and a half years worth of “Good Days” to allow his release in about two years – a pattern of good behavior that he says illustrates a growth of character during his time in prison.
In his petition, Sifrit also points to his commitment to his then-wife over societal norms for his involvement in the crimes, which he maintains was limited.
“The contrast between the life I shared with my former wife and the rest of my life, is one of embarrassment to me,” Sifrit writes in his petition. “Ultimately I divorced her following our arrest, which is a concept I never used to believe in. Since then, I recommitted myself to a life of structure and strong social networking. I will redeem myself in this lifetime.”
Sifrit concludes by asking the court to impose a new sentence of time served.
A copy of Sifrit’s petition was mailed to the Worcester County State’s Attorney on Oct. 1, according to court records.
Maryland’s response
Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser’s Office filed a response to the petition in December. In the response, prosecutors submitted court transcripts, evidence, and photographs surrounding the murder investigation. The circumstances and severity of the killings, prosecutors argued, underscored the importance of Sifrit remaining in prison.
“These murders stand out for their cruelty and brutality and for the disturbing way in which the victims were dismembered and disposed,” the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s office writes in their opposition to the petition.
Prosecutors quote the judge overseeing Sifrit’s sentencing who called the murders a “thrill killing.” The State’s Attorney’s Office also points out that the judge disagreed with the jury in not convicting Benjamin Sifrit of first degree murder.
As to Sifrit’s rehabilitation and fitness to reenter society, Heiser’s office again cites the severity of the crimes in their motion to deny Sifrit’s early release.
“The State asserts that the facts in this case, which indicate a thrill killing of two individuals, who were then completely dismembered by defendant would not warrant a sentence reduction regardless of any demonstration of maturity or rehabilitation,” the motion reads.
The State’s Attorney’s Office concludes by saying Sifrit will already be eligible for release “in too short a time as it is” but that he should remain in prison until that point.
August hearing
On Feb. 18, 2026, a Circuit Court judge for Montgomery County, where Sifrit was tried, ordered a hearing on Sifrit’s Second Look petition. That hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11, 2026. Sifrit will remain at the Maryland Correctional Training Center in the meantime.
WBOC reached out to Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser for comment on this story but have not yet received a response.
According to court records, Erika Sifrit remains at the Department of Correction in Baltimore. Court records show no activity on her file since 2023.