Mesa man pleads guilty to 2012 murders, burglaries

PHOENIX — A Mesa man pleaded guilty Monday to murdering three people in Phoenix-area burglaries seven years ago.

Michael Crane, 38, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and other related charges, including kidnapping, burglary and arson, Arizona Superior Court spokesman Bryan Bouchard said in an email.

Crane faced the charges for the January 2012 killings of Bruce Gaudet at his Phoenix townhome and of Lawrence and Glenna Shapiro at the couple’s home in the upscale suburb of Paradise Valley.

Prosecutors say Crane bound and fatally shot the three victims at their homes, stole their jewelry and other valuables, and torched their homes. The Shapiros were killed four days after Gaudet.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the murders. Crane’s sentencing is set for March 22.

Crane pleaded guilty in December to unrelated burglaries that occurred in the years and months before the murders.

The burglaries that Crane pleaded guilty to happened in 2009 and in November 2011. Prosecutors say Crane stole a motorcycle in the 2011 burglary, which occurred about two months before the killings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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