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Deputies: Drugs in apartment where pregnant woman was slain

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Crystal Youngblood was shot and killed while pregnant by men who kicked in her apartment door, investigators say. Her child was delivered but later died at All Children's Hospital.

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 13, 2009

Updated: 07/13/2009 08:46 pm

There were drugs inside the Bradenton apartment where a 19-year-old pregnant woman was fatally shot Sunday and enough evidence inside for investigators to believe the shooting could have been drug-related, Manatee deputies say.

Masked men kicked in the apartment's door early Sunday and rushed in, shooting at the couple just inside the doorway. Crystal Youngblood, who was seven months pregnant, made a run for the bathroom but was shot once in the neck. Her boyfriend, Lawrence Funsch, 21, of Sarasota, carried her outside moments later.

Youngblood died at Manatee Memorial Hospital. Her daughter, Lariah, was delivered there and taken to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, where she lived on a respirator for two hours before dying.

Investigators with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office are still piecing together what happened about 1 a.m. Sunday at 3810 Fifth St. E.

Deputies aren't providing specific details about the drugs found inside the apartment, but they are looking into whether the drugs were a motive for the attack, sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said.

"We do not believe it was random," he said.

Funsch said he fired back and hit at least one of the intruders. The sheriff's office said 28-year-old Everrick Houston remains in a Bradenton hospital with a gunshot wound and is considered a person of interest.

"We're not getting into what he told us, but we've talked to him I think twice now," Bristow said. "He has not been charged in connection with the homicide. There's a lot of things we have to do in the next week involving processing evidence. There's obviously quite a bit of evidence at the scene that needs to be processed."

Funsch acknowledged there was marijuana in the home but denied that anyone in the apartment was a drug dealer.

"It was not drugs -- I think they got the wrong apartment," Funsch said. "The cops found a little bit of marijuana and 10 pills, but they were my personal pills. Nobody here is a drug dealer. I promise you, we're not dealing drugs."

Funsch was charged in 2006 with possessing hydrocodone, alprazolam and marijuana. He pleaded no contest, was placed on probation and was arrested again in 2007 for violating the terms of his probation. He was sentenced to 100 days in county jail for the probation violation.

He was again charged with possessing marijuana in 2008, but that case was dropped.

Melodie Newman, Youngblood's best friend, narrowly escaped being in the midst of the gunfire, leaving the apartment about five minutes before intruders arrived.

"…I kind of wished I was there because maybe I could have protected her," she said through tears, "She was supposed to be in bed."

She and Youngblood had been talking about the baby and were supposed to check out a site for her baby shower on Sunday, she said.

"She was my best friend… This isn't supposed to happen at all," Newman said. "And I hope these people get the death penalty. I'm not speaking for the whole family but I do."

Ashley Roman, a longtime friend of Youngblood who considers Funsch a relative, said Youngblood was a good-hearted person who would do anything for anyone.

Roman said she and Funsch are devastated by the death and that a wonderful life has been wasted.

"She was always in very happy spirits, always laughing, cracking jokes," Roman said. "She was very excited about being a mother. The past seven months, she was getting things ready for the baby she was supposed to have. Both of them were very excited about the baby."

Investigators are still trying to determine whose gun Funsch used during the attack. Funsch told deputies the gun wasn't his and that someone had handed it to him, Bristow said.

Anyone with information can call the sheriff's office at (941) 747-3011, ext. 2159, or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-TIPS (8477).

Reporter Krista Klaus contributed to this report. Information from The Sarasota Herald-Tribune was used in this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691.

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