Motive Remains Unclear In Brookwood Double Murder As More Details Revealed

BROOKWOOD, AL — Investigators say the man charged in Monday's double homicide in Brookwood knew both victims and the homeowner but have few answers as to why he is believed to have killed them and a dog.

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With a suspect refusing to cooperate nearly 24 hours after the shooting deaths of 31-year-old Jose Felix Alvarez-Duenas and 22-year-old University of Alabama student Jazmine Alexis Bates, investigators still have no clear explanation for the attack.

During a Tuesday morning press conference, Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Commander Capt. Jack Kennedy said investigators have uncovered no evidence that either victim had done anything to provoke the suspect, De’Kendrick Crawford.

He also said it was an "absolute fact" that Crawford was responsible for the killings.

"We have no reason to believe these victims had done anything to deserve this," Kennedy said. "We don't know why they were targeted. They weren't doing anything wrong. They had done nothing wrong to the suspect."

As Patch previously reported, Crawford is currently charged with capital murder for the shooting, which occurred at a home in the 12900 block of Alabama Junction Road.

A dog inside the home was also shot and killed, which Kennedy said would likely result in animal cruelty being added to the other forthcoming felony charges against Crawford.

Kennedy said it is believed that Alvarez-Duenas had been house-sitting for a friend who was traveling out of the country and had invited the Bates to the residence.

"There was nothing unusual or suspicious about the female victim being at the residence," Kennedy said. "The male victim was simply house-sitting and taking care of the homeowner's dog, and he had invited a friend over."

Kennedy then said Crawford, 31, was not at the home with permission and had only been to the location on one other prior occasion.

He went on to explain that the suspect, the homeowner and Alvarez-Duenas had all previously worked together at the same local business, although authorities declined to identify the employer by name due to its lack of connection to the case.

Kennedy said Crawford had previously been fired from that job before later being terminated from a contractor position connected to the University of Alabama.

"They knew each other, but they were not friends," Kennedy said. "There had been a falling out. Even so, nothing suggested behavior like this. This case is an enigma."

Kennedy said authorities are still working to determine a motive and decline to speculate on any possibilities at the stage in the investigation.

"There are some assumptions about what the motive might have been, but they are only assumptions," Kennedy said. "Regardless, they would never justify hurting or killing anyone."

Kennedy said Crawford had already been wanted on felony warrants stemming from a shooting near the University of Alabama campus last month, when investigators allege he fired multiple shots from a vehicle after being fired from his job.

He was quick to point out that Crawford did not have any kind of violent record prior to the first incident.

Still, Kennedy said Crawford has been actively avoiding arrest, staying at different locations and using multiple phones while law enforcement searched for him.

After obtaining a capital murder warrant Monday, investigators from multiple agencies quickly tracked Crawford to relative's apartment on Deerfield Drive in Northport, where he hid in an attic crawl space for roughly four hours before being taken into custody.

Kennedy said Crawford never voluntarily surrendered.

"He didn't surrender because he wanted to," Kennedy said. "He surrendered because he cared more about himself than he did about his victims."

Investigators also credited a doorbell security camera at the home with dramatically speeding up the investigation.

"It was crucial," Kennedy said. "Based on everything we know now, I firmly believe we still would have identified him, but the video dramatically accelerated the investigation."

Kennedy added that investigators also relied on electronic evidence, surveillance technology and the fact that Crawford allegedly stole one of the victims' vehicles after the killings.

The security camera footage will not be released at this time because it is evidence in an active capital murder case.

While Crawford is currently charged with one count of capital murder, Kennedy spoke to possibility of more charges in such a complex case.

"There will likely be additional charges," he said, including potential additional capital murder counts, animal cruelty for the death of the dog and charges related to stealing a vehicle.

Kennedy emphasized that investigators still have significant work ahead and urged the public against placing blame on anyone other than Crawford.

"This individual alone is responsible for what happened," Kennedy said. "There is no blame, guilt or liability on the people he worked with, the employers who terminated him, these victims, or his family. He is 100% solely responsible for these crimes."

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