Terence Crutcher’s Parents, Mother Of Children, Stake Claims To Estate

Terence Crutcher’s parents and the mother of three of his children are both staking claims to his estate.

Frenchel Johnson, the mother of Terence Crutcher's children, says she's Crutcher’s wife. According to documents, the court made her the administrator over Crutcher’s estate Friday, but his parents say that’s not the case.

Since the beginning of the investigation, Crutcher's parents have had their own legal team working the criminal part of the case. They planned to file a civil case and petitioned Monday to get administration rights over Crutcher’s estate.

Special Coverage: Terence Crutcher Police Shooting

The family wants the court to throw out its Friday decision naming Johnson the administrator.

Crutcher's parents say Johnson is not married to their son so she has no spousal claims. The parents also say they have custody of Johnson and Crutcher's three children.

However, Johnson says the two are married and her attorney, Dan Smolen, says that is all that counts.

Dan Smolen/Attorney "There are Terence's parents and his side of the family, and then there are Terence's wife and children, which is who I represent. Even without an estate being set up, she's the only one who has the authority to bring a wrongful death action."

We've checked but did not find an Oklahoma marriage license on file for Johnson and Crutcher. It's not clear if the two were common law spouses.