MURDER CHARGE: A 41-year-old man from Orange County, Ernest Lamar Love, has been charged with the murder of 6-year-old Chance Crawford after a brutal beating that led to the child’s death.
The tragic incident took place on August 29, 2024, after Chance had completed his third day of first grade. Authorities say that Love, who was watching the boy while his mother worked a night shift at St. Joseph’s Hospital, became enraged after the child urinated in his pants at a local park.
Surveillance footage captured Love dragging a “large piece of raw lumber” into his barbershop in Placentia, with Chance reluctantly following behind. Prosecutors allege that Love then beat Chance with the timber, poured hydrogen peroxide on his open wounds, and forced the boy to perform physical exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks as punishment.
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The abuse led to the child’s collapse, and instead of calling for emergency assistance, Love took Chance to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County at around 1:30 a.m. on August 30. The boy later succumbed to his injuries.
Love now faces murder charges for his actions, which have shocked the Orange County community. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, detailing the horrifying events that unfolded.