Oak Harbor man on trial for murder

The trial of a man accused of murdering his neighbor is expected to go to the jury this week.

By Jessie Stensland • June 20, 2023 1:30 am

The trial of an Oak Harbor man accused of murdering and dismembering a neighbor of his Montana vacation property in June 2011 is expected to go to the jury this week.

Family members and Whidbey Island residents testified in the trial of Leon Ford, according to KRTV, a television station in Great Falls, Montana. Whidbey residents were subpoenaed by both the prosecution and defense. A key piece of evidence in the prosecution’s case is heavy-duty zip ties that may have come from Chugach Industries in Oak Harbor, where Ford was employed.

Ford is facing charges of deliberate homicide and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. The trial started June 1.

Ford allegedly shot John M. Crites to death over an access road dispute in Montana, where they owned property next to each other, according to court documents. Crites’ dismembered remains were found by forest service workers in garbage bags and his head was later found in a wooded area by a man looking for his dog.

Investigators allege that Ford and Crites feuded for years over land access and that the argument came to a head when Crites, for the second time, put up a gate blocking the road that Ford used to access his property.

Ford, a former member of the Navy, has denied any wrongdoing. He testified in his defense Friday, denying that he killed Crites or that he had the zip ties, KRTV reported. Witnesses for the defense testified that the company located at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island “had multiple brands of cable ties on hand in 2011 and there was no way to say exactly what brand of ties Ford requested at the base by looking at the request form,” KRTV reported.

Prosecutors alleged that a neighbor’s camera showed Ford’s truck going up the road to Crites’ home and not returning until hours later. Court documents state that Ford said he had been spraying weeds, but the evidence showed he hadn’t picked up the sprayer until the following day. His wife testified that he told her he had spent the day picking up debris from the road that could puncture tires, KRTV reported.