CLEVELAND — A 40-year-old woman will serve a lengthy period behind bars for her role in the death of a 70-year-old East Cleveland man nearly a year ago.
Tiffany Gardner, of Cleveland, received a life sentence Thursday morning in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, with Judge Deena R. Calabrese allowing her to apply for parole after 15 years. A jury convicted her of both murder and felonious assault three weeks ago.
Authorities say Gardner was at the AutoZone on Euclid Avenue on the afternoon of April 14, 2021 when she "accosted" Leonard Craddock for allegedly stealing her property. Afterward, two unidentified males arrived and beat Craddock to death, at Gardner's direction. She was arrested two days later.
No other suspects have been named in Craddock's killing. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled his cause of death as a homicide from blunt force trauma.
Anyone with further information regarding this case is encouraged to call the East Cleveland Police Department at (216) 451-1234 or Cuyahoga County CrimeStoppers at (216) 252-7463. Tips can remain anonymous.
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