Exclusive Interview: Gray State Co-Creator Speaks About David Crowley’s Sudden Death and “Gray State Going Dark For Now”

Contributed to TLB by: Ben Swann

Authored by: Annabelle Bamforth

Ben Swann interviewed “Gray State” co-creator and actor Danny August Mason to discuss the future of the film in light of the recent deaths of director David Crowley, his wife Komel, and their young daughter.

The deaths of the Crowleys have been ruled by the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office as a murder-suicide.

The medical examiner’s office ruled that the deaths of Komel Crowley and her daughter were homicides, and that the death of David Crowley was a suicide. All three of the Crowleys died from a single gunshot wound to the head, and a handgun was found next to David Crowley.

Apple Valley police Capt. John Bermel said that the medical examiner’s office did not find physical signs of a struggle on the bodies or inside of the home. Bermel also pointed out that the house was intact, although recorded audio of police had stated upon discovery of the bodies that a sliding door in the back of the Crowley’s house had been unlocked and “slightly ajar”. Bermel said “If there was a scuffle, you’d expect to find maybe something broken, maybe something knocked over.”

“There was nothing like that,” Bermel said.

Investigators stated that the last “verified activity” in the home was in late December.

Bermel said “What we’re realizing now is that there was some amount of substance use there, some financial stress and – as we’ve seen in some of the (news) stories — what we’re learning is there was starting to be some isolation,” although Bermel did not expound on the type of substance use. “What I can tell you is we are getting some indications of what may have contributed to this,” Bermel said.

The Dakota County Electronic Crimes Task Force has begun a forensic analysis of computers and electronics taken from the Crowley’s home.

The bodies of David, Komel and their daughter were discovered by the Crowley’s next-door neighbor on January 17th.

Benswann.com has requested records related to the investigation; the Apple Valley Police Department responded that “the investigation into the case is still active and we are not releasing anything at this time. I will retain your request and it will be processed when the case becomes inactive.”

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been established for Komel Crowley’s mother, Naila Alam, who is currently suffering from cancer: http://www.gofundme.com/kjrrqw