By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
TUSCALOOSA COUNTY — A University of Alabama student and a man who was house-sitting for a friend were found shot to death Monday inside a home in Brookwood, leading to the arrest of a 24-year-old suspect on capital murder charges.
Authorities identified the victims as Jazmine Alexis Bates, 22, and Jose Felix Alvarez-Duenas, 31. Investigators said both victims and the suspect, De’Kendrick Crawford, previously worked together at a local business.
The investigation began after the homeowner, who was out of the country, requested a welfare check when they were unable to reach Alvarez-Duenas, who had been caring for the home and dog. After reviewing security camera footage showing suspicious activity, the homeowner contacted the landlord, who alerted police.
Officers entering the residence found Alvarez-Duenas dead inside the home and later discovered Bates dead in a bedroom closet. Investigators also found the homeowner’s dog had been killed.
Investigators identified Crawford as the suspect using surveillance video. Authorities said he already had an outstanding felony warrant stemming from a May 2026 shooting into an occupied building near the University of Alabama campus.
Law enforcement officers located Crawford later that day at an apartment in Northport, where he was found hiding in an attic crawlspace after a lengthy standoff. He was arrested and booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail on two counts of capital murder.
The investigation remains ongoing.