ANAMOSA – An Iowa man who viciously murdered his infant son, but hated porn, died in prison.
Michael Cecil Craney was pronounced dead, likely due to natural causes (not COVID-19 related) at 11:32 AM on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. Craney was 68 years old at the time of his death.
Craney had been serving a life sentence for the crime of Murder 1st Degree from Buchanan County. His sentence began on November 2, 1982.
According to court records:
At the time of the incident in question defendant Michael Cecil Craney and his wife Kimberly had a fifteen-day-old child, Matthew. Previously defendant had undergone *670 periods of depression and delusions and had abused alcohol and drugs. The day before the incident he worked on his brother’s farm. That evening he complained of tiredness and “felt like his brain was fried.” His wife, thinking he was going to destroy their record collection for religious reasons, told him if he did so she would leave him. Defendant complained that he had never done anything right in his life. He picked up the baby, who apparently struck him on the cheek. He said the baby also knew how bad and low he was.
After defendant and Kimberly went to bed defendant talked of demons and fires. About 10:30 p.m. he went out into the rain and uttered a “terrible scream.” Back in the house, he said he had to get his brother’s forgiveness.
Defendant then drove to his brother on a farm, and begged forgiveness. His two brothers drove to town with him to get sleeping medicine, but defendant refused to enter the convenience store because it sold pornography. Defendant then went home.
Defendant told his wife he was “possessed”, and about midnight got up with her for the child-feeding. He “sort of stared.” At the feeding about 5:30 a.m., Kimberly told defendant she thought she would take the baby away for a day to rest. Defendant implored her not to go until his fever broke, yet he did not appear to have a fever. He also said he thought the baby was possessed. Kimberly assured him she would not leave.
At about 6:30 a.m. defendant got up, went into the baby’s room, and, according to Kimberly:
Q. And what is the next thing that you saw or heard? A. I heard gurgling noises and I saw Mike in the baby’s room walking around, and then I heard gurgling noises and I got up and I went into the room. And he had the baby out of the bed and one hand was behind the baby’s neck and one hand was on his face. Q. Then did you say or do anything at that time? A. I tried to get the baby. I asked him what he was doing or something to that effect. And I couldn’t get him away from him and we wrestled to the floor, and I was still trying to get a hold of him and get Mike’s hand off him, and I couldn’t. He had his hand on his throat and I couldn’t get him away, so I went down and called the police. Q. Now, at the time that you were upstairs in the baby’s room were you screaming at Mike? A. Probably. Q. While you were on the telephone calling the police did you see Mike and the baby again? A. Yes. He brought him downstairs. Q. How did he have a hold of him when he brought him downstairs? A. With his two hands around his neck. Q. Did he hold him out of front of him? A. Yes. Q. And when he brought him downstairs were you still on the telephone? A. Yes. Q. Where is the telephone located at your house? A. On the left side of the counter in the dining room. Q. And I think you’ve indicated before that the kitchen and dining room are close together, they are adjacent to one another? A. Yes, they are separated by a bar. Q. And after Michael brought the baby downstairs, I think you indicated that he came to the dining room; is that correct? A. Yes. Q. And he A. He went around the counter, the other side of the counter opposite of where I was, and went to the drawer where I keep my cooking utensils and knives. And I was screaming over the phone at the police person and I got around to the drawer, and he was trying to get a knife, and I was trying to keep it closed. And he jerked it open and grabbed the knife out. Then he turned around and slammed the baby to the floor, and then I started hitting him on the head with the phone and screaming at him and trying to grab the knife away.
Q. At the time that you mentioned that you tried to grab the babytried to *671 grab the knife away, was Mike stabbing your baby? A. Yes.
Q. After you saw Mike stab the baby, did he leave? A. Yes. He threw the knife down and ran back around the other side of the counter where he came from before, and I told him to get out and to look what he had done to our baby. And I told him not to take the keys to the car. He grabbed the extra set of keys off the key hook.
The child sustained numerous stab wounds, a fractured skull, and a slit throat, and died.
The county attorney charged defendant with premeditated first-degree murder. A jury found him guilty, the trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment, and he appealed.
