A Martinsburg woman was denied bail after allegedly trying to carry out a murder plot against her husband by luring him out to their garage and ambushing him with a gun.

Heather Renee Crawford, 42, was arraigned Tuesday by Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio on a felony count of criminal attempt – criminal homicide, two felony counts of aggravated assault, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and single misdemeanor counts of possession of an instrument of crime with intent, recklessly endangering another person and making terroristic threats. Court documents state her bail was denied because she “intended to kill (her) husband and shot at him numerous times.”

Martinsburg police responded to a residence along the 200 block of Woodlawn Avenue in Martinsburg after the victim arrived at their station about 5:17 p.m. to report that his wife, Crawford, had fired multiple rounds at him near their garage at the rear of their house. Crawford was taken into custody, with a Ruger pistol registered to the victim found hidden under a kitchen mat near her person, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

In an interview, Crawford said she began plotting to kill the victim following a heated argument Sunday night. During the argument, Crawford obtained the victim’s pistol and pointed it at him in a threatening manner. When the argument subsided, Crawford hid the pistol, court documents state.

Crawford told police her plan was to kill the victim in their garage. Obtaining the pistol, Crawford said she had staged something in the garage for the victim to look at in order to lure him out of the house and intended to ambush him while he was distracted, the police report states.

When the victim entered the garage, Crawford said she placed herself between him and the doorway while pointing the pistol at him from waist level. The victim saw what Crawford was doing and pushed past her in an attempt to escape, the report states.

As the victim was fleeing across the backyard toward the house, Crawford shot one round at him, which entered and exited through the garage door. Crawford then shot two more rounds at the victim, one of which hit the victim’s jacket, shearing off its zipper across the victim’s midsection. The victim was ultimately able to escape and contacted police, court documents state.

Officers reported that when they asked Crawford why she tried to kill the victim, she said the victim was evil and had to die. A search warrant of the residence yielded three spent shell casings.

Crawford is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in front of DeAntonio on Feb. 5.