5 chilling details about Judy Naylor's brutal crime

Judy Naylor’s case involves a series of crimes that began with financial theft and escalated to murder. Born in 1965 in North Carolina, Naylor faced family challenges, including her parents’ struggles with alcohol and mental health. At 19, she had a son, Michael, with 24-year-old Andrew San Miguel, who was serving in the U.S. Air Force.

After separating from Andrew, she entered the automotive industry to support her son. In 2003, she married Donald McPhail after dating him for six months.

While employed as a bookkeeper at Absolute Bus Sales, owned by Craig Hartman, she and her husband, McPhail, stole money by forging checks to support their drug use. This eventually led to a plan to kill Hartman to hide the theft. After being charged and released on bail posted by her stepfather, James Croxton, Naylor was later linked to his death by chloroform poisoning.

The case involved theft, attempted murder, and murder, with key evidence like forged documents, weapons, planning notes, and credit card records. It was featured on the true crime series Snapped in season 31, episode 17, which first aired on November 6, 2022. It is scheduled to re-air on September 1, 2025, at 2:30 pm ET. Viewers can watch it on platforms such as Oxygen, Peacock, DIRECTV, and Plex.

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Five horrifying facts regarding the brutal crimes of Judy Naylor

1) The elaborate forgery and theft scheme

Judy and Donald used to forge checks for their drug habit (Image via Unsplash/ @ Myriam Zilles)

In late 2003, during Craig Hartman's vacation from December 24, 2003, to January 12, 2004, Judy Naylor and her husband, Donald McPhail, illegally created and cashed 21 checks from his business accounts. The amount totaled more than $19,000, with individual checks ranging from $120 to $6,500, most made out to Naylor and a few to McPhail.

They cashed them to fund their drug habits. Naylor handled bookkeeping but was not allowed to sign checks.

They also stole Hartman's shotgun from his home. Earlier that December, Naylor faced accusations of stealing $7,000 in jewelry from her stepfather, James Croxton; however, those charges were later dropped. When Hartman returned, the couple worried about discovery, leading to further crimes.

Bank records and affidavits confirmed the forgeries. This theft set off a chain of events that revealed deeper criminal intent, as per Oxygen.

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2) The ambush shooting of her employer

Donald shot Craig three times (Image via Unsplash/ @ William Isted)

On January 12, 2004, Donald McPhail shot Craig Hartman three times outside his business at 1173 Kendrick Road in Lumberton, North Carolina. Hartman was hit in the hand but survived. The weapon used was Hartman's own stolen shotgun. Judy Naylor drove the getaway car and helped plan the attack to cover the check forgeries, as per Oxygen.

Before these events took place, she called the airline to confirm Hartman's return flight and scouted his location. The couple purchased shotgun shells beforehand, and after the shooting, they hid the gun near a guardrail, where police later recovered it.

The couple eventually confessed their crimes. McPhail admitted to pulling the trigger, and Naylor to the overall scheme. This act showed how far they went to avoid consequences for their theft.

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3) Committing murder while out on bail

Judy Naylor was on bail when she killed James (Image via Unsplash/ @ Daniel von Appen)

After her arrest for the Hartman case on January 26, 2004, Naylor was released on $4,500 bail in May 2004, paid by her stepfather, James Croxton, using life insurance from her mother's recent death. Croxton was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Naylor moved into his home rent-free.

On November 14, 2004, she called 911 to report him unresponsive; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Although initially seen as natural causes, an autopsy found fatal chloroform levels. Evidence showed Judy Naylor planned this for inheritance.

A will dated August 2004 left everything to her, and purchases of chloroform were traced to Croxton’s credit cards, with deliveries sent to their address. This occurred while she awaited trial for the previous charges, adding layers to her actions, according to Oxygen.

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4) The use of chloroform as a poison

James Croxton died due to chloroform poisoning (Image via Unsplash/ @ Denise Chan)

Investigators determined that James Croxton's death was due to chloroform poisoning, with high levels in his blood confirmed by autopsy. Chloroform, a chemical that can cause unconsciousness and death, was bought online weeks before using Croxton's cards and sent to their home.

Judy Naylor's son, Michael, recalled her showing him a bottle of it beforehand, telling him not to worry, according to Oxygen.

Computer printouts found in the house contained information on autopsies and death investigations. Initially, this method allowed the death to appear natural, but then Donna Naylor, Croxton's ex-wife, suspected foul play immediately and alerted police.

The choice of chloroform pointed to a calculated approach to avoid obvious signs of violence.

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5) Incriminating letters and motive in the Croxton case

Judy Naylor was convicted and sentenced to life (Image via Unsplash/ @ Michael Förtsch)

Letters Judy Naylor wrote to her brother Kenneth, who was in prison, detailed plans to kill Croxton for insurance money using chemicals. One letter said, "In a few months, he’s gonna be dead." These letters were discovered during the investigation.

Her son Michael's statement about the chloroform further strengthened the evidence. Donna Naylor claimed Naylor exploited Croxton, possibly in an intimate way, while living with him.

The will, notarized by Naylor’s cousin, left everything to her, suggesting an intent to benefit financially. These elements highlighted a betrayal of family ties for personal gain. Police used witness accounts, purchase records, and documents to build the case, ultimately leading to her arrest for first-degree murder, according to Oxygen.

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Catch Snapped: Season 31, episode 17 on Oxygen and Peacock.