Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The person of interest in relation to a homicide case that occurred Thursday morning in the City of Buffalo has been arrested.
49-year-old Rickey Crouch was taken into custody Thursday afternoon following a New York State Police pursuit on the I-90 just outside of Hamburg. According to a spokesperson, Crouch was ejected from his vehicle after hitting an uninvolved vehicle on the New York State Thruway.
After being evaluated for injuries, Crouch has been turned over to the Buffalo Police Department. In addition, the Erie County District Attorney's Office has assisted Buffalo Police with the indictment of Crouch on Thursday.
Crouch was arraigned Friday afternoon in Erie County Court on an indictment charging him with one count of Murder in the Second Degree (Class “A-I” felony) and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class “C” violent felony).
Officials with Buffalo Police say the homicide took place just after midnight on Thursday at 645 South Ogden Street in Buffalo's Lovejoy District. It is believed that Crouch had broken into the home of the victim and shot her.
The victim, 44-year-old Amanda Thompson, ended up dying from her wounds.
No return date has been scheduled, and Crouch was held without bail.
If convicted of the highest charge, Crouch faces a maximum sentence of 25 years-to-life in prison.
Crouch was previously engaged in a domestic relationship with Thompson, and with a past record involving multiple arrests, it led Buffalo Police to pin Crouch as the prime suspect.
"There was a incident in May where the suspect was arrested with a handgun during a burglary of the victim's house. He was arrested by Buffalo Police, and taken into custody," said Chief of Detectives Craig Macy.
Shortly after this arrest, Crouch was taken into custody again on a criminal contempt arrest when he allegedly violated that order of protection. One of his two previous arrests posted a $50,000 bail, and the Erie County District Attorney's Office requested Crouch not be released.
Prior to this, Crouch had served jail time for a prior murder conviction in 1996. He was released on bail back in 2023.
Buffalo's Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon assures that this incident did not occur while Crouch was on bail, but furthered his argument that bail reform needs to be improved in New York State.
"I think none of us can argue that there's adjustments that need to be made to the criminal justice system here in the country, but some of the steps that were taken by the state legislature four or five years ago have made it very difficult on law enforcement, made a lot of neighborhoods unsafe," said Scanlon.
Macy also adds Buffalo Police is working closely with the Cheektowaga Police Department about a possible related incident of shots fired being reported a short time after the shooting on South Ogden Street.