In February, there was a particularly gruesome triple murder that took place in a home poker game in Palatka, Florida.
Apparently, here's what happened:
Duane Crittenden II was having a really bad night at the table. The private game, which had started up on a Friday afternoon, broke up at about 6 am on Saturday morning. Crittenden was majorly pissed off - he felt like he had been cheated by some of the other players at the table, and was intent on exacting some revenge.
He left the game and came back a few hours later, armed with a gun and a knife.
When he was done, three men had been killed. Robert E. Ford had been stabbed multiple times and shot in the head twice. Richard Smith and Jerome Henry had both been shot in the head, execution style.
Crittenden scooped up the cash at the table (reported to be in the neighborhood of a couple thousand dollars) and fled the scene. He was captured a short time later.
One of the witnesses to that triple murder decided to test his luck again and play in another Palatka-area private game.
On Thursday, April 17th, this man was playing in another "high stakes" private game in Palatka. A gunman kicked in the front door of the house that was playing host to the game and started firing off shots. The witness to the February triple homicide was shot in the hip and managed to escape. Police say that the shooting seemed random and there is nothing to tie it to the February incident.
On a side note, Crittenden pled guilty to the February slayings and is now serving three consecutive life sentences.
If someone asks you to attend a home game in Palatka, just say no. Pokerstars is a much safer bet.
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Filed Under: Random Poker News