Chance Crawford death: OC community 'traumatized' after 6-year-old allegedly tortured by barber

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - Ernest Lamar Love proclaimed to be a man of God. 

In a social media post, he said, "God is so good, and if you're obedient and you do what he's telling you to do, you're going to change lives."   

But now, Love stands accused of a crime so horrific that it is hard to reconcile with the person his community knew. Love is accused of torturing and killing 6-year-old Chance Crawford – a crime that is nothing short of evil.  

"It's every working parent's worst nightmare," said Kimberly Edds, the Orange County District Attorney's Office spokesperson. 

She says Love, a barber by trade in Placentia, had been babysitting 6-year-old Chance. His mother had dropped him off around 6:30 p.m. so she could head to work as a nurse's assistant at a hospital. 

Three hours later, when the boy soiled his pants, Love allegedly subjected him to a violent, torturous punishment that led to his death.  

"The barber is accused of beating the little boy so violently that pieces of his flesh were falling off his body," says Edds. "He then doused the boy's open wounds with hydrogen peroxide before forcing him to do pushups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks until he collapsed."

Sonia and Dr. Jason Welsh, members of Amazing Church in Lake Elsinore, were at the hospital with Chance, his mother, Charlyn, and Love. All were members of the same church. They recall that Love initially claimed that Chance had had an accident. 

"He said Chance had socks on, was doing jumping jacks, and hit his head," Dr. Welsh recalls. 

But the severity of Chance's injuries made Love's story hard to believe. 

"When I got there, you could see the bulging on the side of his face. For me, it looked like more than just a fall," Welsh said. 

Sonia and Jason have known Ernest for over a decade. He had served as a minister at their church, and they say everyone trusted him.

"The church is traumatized," says Dr. Welsh. "Everybody is crying. We're grieving for Chance. We're consoling Charlyn, and then we're left wondering what happened to Ernest. It feels like we are losing three people to this tragedy."  

Love has been charged with one felony count of murder, one felony count of torture, and one felony count of child abuse causing death. If convicted of all charges, Love faces a maximum sentence of 32 years to life in prison. 

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Chance Crawford's mother. Those looking to help can click here.