Latest / Crime Stories with Nancy Grace / Man Praised for Fire Rescue Attempt Now Accused of Killing Neighbor | Crime Alert 6AM 12.15.25

Transcript

Man Praised for Fire Rescue Attempt Now Accused of Killing Neighbor | Crime Alert 6AM 12.15.25 · Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Crime Alert I means grace breaking crime is now and
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: New jerseyman once hailed as a hero for trying to
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: rescue a neighbor from a burning house now charged with
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: her murder. William Ale, seventy, tells authorities while walking his dog,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: he spots flames coming from his longtime neighbor, eighty two
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: year old Virginia Cranwell's home and rushes in through an
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: open garage. That's not exactly what happened. We'll find out
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: what did happen in court Nancy.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Authorities in Union County have announced charges in this shocking
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: homicide case. Seventy year old William L has been officially
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: charged with the murder of his eighty two year old neighbor,
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: Virginia Cranwell. Prosecutor William Daniel and Fenwood Chief Law Enforcement
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Officer Lieutenant Daniel Krans made the announcement public. L faces
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: multiple charges including first degree murder, felony murder, burglary, and
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: aggravated arson. The case began when firefighters responded to a
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: house fire in fan Would around one thirty seven am.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: L told police he was walking his dog when he
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: saw flames coming from Cranwell's home and ran inside through
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: the garage, but after months of investigation, authorities say the
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: officials determined the blaze was intentionally set. The Union County
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Medical Examiner ruled Cranwell's death homicide. Investigators found evidence including
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: surveillance footage showing L entering the woman's garage multiple times
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: and a gas can with his DNA on it behind
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: the woman's ottoman in her home. The evidence led detectives
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: to l as a suspect rather than a hero. L
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: was taken into custody and is being held at the
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: Middlesex County Jail pending his next court appearance.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Nicole, thank you more Crimate Justice News.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: After this, Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Singer Renger
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: have tragically lost their lives and now authorities say they
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: are questioning their son Nick. On Sunday, December fourteen, around
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: three point thirty pm, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: to a home provided medical assistance. Upon their arrival, they
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: discovered the bodies of a seventy eight year old man
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: and sixty eight year old woman, later identified as Rob
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: and Michelle. Rob Reiner, renowned director, producer, and actor, is
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: celebrated for directing iconic films such as Stand By Me,
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and so many more.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: Born in the Bronx in nineteen forty seven, Rob was
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: the son of the legendary comedian Carl Reiner and an actress.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: Is still a boast. Robin Michelle's paths crossed during the
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: filming of When Harry Met Sally, leading to their marriage
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: in nineteen eighty nine and the birth of their three children.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: Prior to Michelle, Rob was married to the late Penny Marshall.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: In a twenty sixteen interview with People dot com, opened
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: up about his long battle with drug addiction, which began
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: in his early teens and ultimately led to a life
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: on the streets. He recounted his experience of frequently entering
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: and exiting rehab programs starting at the age of fifteen,
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: but as his addiction worsened, he found himself increasingly estranged
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: from his family and living homeless across several states. Sources
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: close to the situation say that now police are interviewing
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: the Sun in relation to the death of his parents.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: A holiday meal intended for inmates at a South Carolina
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: prison was intercepted by a guard before it could reach
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: its final destination. The South Carolina Department of Corrections revealed
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: that the items delivered by drone to Lee Correctional Institution
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: included stakes, crab legs, old base seasoning, marijuana. The drone
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: and its cargo were confiscated on Sunday Monks. While dreams
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: of a holiday feast filled with treats were dashed, The
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: inmates were left with the usual fare served in prison.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: Looks like some individuals had plans for an early holiday crab,
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: boil and steak dinner complete with marijuana, the Corrections officials
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: shared on x all of it brought in by a
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: drone at Lee CI. For now, prison guards intercepted. No
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: holiday feast for these inmates.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: Craig Melton agrees to give two guys the right to Bellcourt,
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: North Dakota, two hundred and fifty miles from Melton's Fargo home.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Two days later, Melton has not returned. His roommate reports
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: him missing. Cops find Melton's maroon Saturn abandoned near the
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Bellcourt destination. The back dash and seats have been ripped
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: out of the car. They're missing. No one has been
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: able to id who Melton was driving to Bellcourt, but
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: family members don't believe they were strangers. It's now been
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: two and a half out for years since anyone has
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: seen thirty four year old Craig Melton. If you have
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: information on his disappearance, please contact card Contact Fargo p
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: D seven oh one two three five four four nine three.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: For the latest crime injustice news, go to crimeonline dot
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: com and please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories,
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: where we do our best to find missing people, especially children,
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: and help solve unsolved homicides. With this crime al Art,
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: I'm Nancy Grace