Man Living Off His Murdered Wife’s Disabled Veteran Benefits Will Be Sentenced Tomorrow Even Though Her Body Has Never Been Found
A 47-year-old man, living off his disabled wife’s disabled veteran and Social Security benefits, has been found guilty of her murder even though her body has never been found.
Prosecutor Says Lazon Erased His Wife
Discussing the personal belongings of Tiffany Marie Lazon (37) found by investigators in an Albany storage unit, Senior Deputy District Attorney Ani Yardumian told jurors that the only thing missing from the stored items was the dead woman’s bank card…’this is a man disposing of her life, in the same manner that he’s disposed of her body…he’s erasing her.’
Craig Alexander Lazon Jr. was found guilty of second-degree murder after a three-week trial in the Linn County Courthouse where he will be sentenced on Thursday.
Lazon became a person of interest when his wife disappeared, never to be found, and in January 2020 was charged with her murder. The prosecution found that there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to proceed to trial.
Her DNA Was Found on a Circular Saw
Evidence heard in court was that Tiffany Lazon’s DNA was detected on a battery-powered circular saw that Craig Lazon had borrowed from friends. When he returned the saw, the blade was missing and the saw was disassembled. Lazon told his friends that he had cleaned the tool.
The police also found evidence of blood in a U-Haul truck that Lazon had used to move items from his wife’s 16th Avenue Southeast townhouse.
Investigators found his wife’s identification and wallet, driver’s license, social security card, military veteran card, medical insurance information, and cell phone and keys in one of two storage units in Albany that Lazon had rented. They also found her cat, Victoria, locked up without food or water for at least four days.
‘Tiffany Lazon is not missing,’ Yardumian told the court. ‘She was murdered at the hands of her own husband.’ Yardumian said Lazon had hidden his wife’s body but evidence showed how she had died, eliminating the need to prove the murder case or for the police to provide a murder scene or the dead woman’s remains.
Defense Says Woman Suffered from Mental Illness and Meth Addiction
The defense team told the court that Tiffany Lazon had suffered from mental illness and was addicted to meth. The estranged couple had reconciled, and Craig Lazon had no reason to murder his wife as he was living off her Social Security and disabled veteran benefits.
The defense team said there were other explanations regarding Tiffany Lazon’s disappearance – she had stopped taking her medication and mental health care six months before she was reported missing. They said her behavior was erratic and delusional.
Furthermore, Tiffany Lazon was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and a borderline personality disorder, and she had also engaged in self-harm acts.
Defense attorney Shelley Aschenbrenner said despite the prosecution presenting more than 50 witnesses, not one of them could tell how the woman had died, and that there was no proof that she had lost her life as a result of an intentional homicide.