Police investigators say a University of Alabama student and a father of three were found shot to death inside a Brookwood home on July 6, and authorities arrested a suspect hiding in an attic crawl space hours later.
Tuscaloosa County detectives identified 24-year-old De’Kendrick Crawford as the person charged in the killings of 22-year-old Jazmine Alexis Bates and 31-year-old Jose Felix Alvarez-Duenas, officials said. The Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit is leading the homicide investigation.
What police say happened
Brookwood officers responded after the homeowner — who was out of the country — became concerned when she could not reach Alvarez-Duenas, the person she had asked to house-sit and care for her dog, according to law enforcement statements.
Investigators say the homeowner reviewed doorbell camera footage and saw suspicious activity on the back porch overnight, then asked her landlord to contact police. When officers conducted a welfare check, they found Alvarez-Duenas dead just inside the front door and Bates dead in a bedroom closet. Authorities say both had been shot and the homeowner’s dog was also killed.
Attic capture and capital murder charge
Detectives told reporters they used doorbell camera footage, electronic evidence and other physical leads to identify Crawford as a suspect. Officials say he was located at a relative’s apartment in Northport and barricaded himself rather than surrendering.
Law enforcement said Crawford was found hiding in an attic crawl space roughly 10 hours after the victims were discovered. Jail records indicate he was booked July 7 on charges including capital murder involving two or more persons and discharging a firearm into an occupied building; those charges are allegations at this stage, and Crawford has not been convicted.
University of Alabama student and father of three killed: victims and community response
The victims were identified by authorities as Jazmine Alexis Bates, 22, a University of Alabama student expected to graduate in December, and Jose Felix Alvarez-Duenas, 31, described by coworkers as a devoted single father of three.
Friends and former coworkers at Buffalo Phil’s Wings, where Bates, Alvarez-Duenas and Crawford had worked together, posted tributes. The restaurant called the pair “beloved members of our work family,” according to public statements shared with investigators.
Community members have organized fundraising efforts. GoFundMe pages have been set up to support Alvarez-Duenas’ children and to help Bates’ family with funeral expenses and travel back to Chicago; those pages were created by friends and local organizers, according to public listings and statements from organizers.
The University of Alabama said staff have contacted Bates’ family and that affected students have been directed to counseling and support through the Office of Student Care and Well Being. Students and community members seeking assistance are advised to contact the Office of Student Care and Well Being directly for resources and support (University resource page: https://studentcare.ua.edu).
Possible links to an earlier shooting
Investigators disclosed that Crawford was wanted on an unrelated felony warrant tied to a May shooting near Coleman Coliseum. Police allege he fired several rounds into an occupied office building after being fired from a contractor position on campus; those allegations remain under investigation and are being treated as distinct from the July killings.
Authorities emphasized that the alleged May incident and the July deaths are separate matters under active investigation by multiple agencies.
Timeline of discovery and arrest
According to statements from law enforcement: the homeowner reviewed doorbell footage and reported suspicious activity; Brookwood officers performed a welfare check and located the victims; detectives traced electronic and physical evidence to Northport; Crawford barricaded himself and was later located in an attic crawl space following a coordinated, multiagency response.
Officials say the attic capture occurred about 10 hours after first responders found the victims and involved local and regional law enforcement resources. Specific investigative steps and pieces of evidence that led to the arrest have been described in general terms by investigators but have not been released in full detail.
What remains unconfirmed
Crawford has been formally charged in the Brookwood deaths; those charges are allegations and must be proven in court. Investigators have not publicly confirmed motive, and prosecutors have not released all investigative findings. Statements describing the May incident near Coleman Coliseum are characterized by police as allegations tied to a separate warrant.
Authorities have said they recovered electronic evidence and other items that factored into identifying a suspect; the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit and University of Alabama Police Department (UAPD) continue to investigate and have asked anyone with additional information to contact them.
Attribution and reporting notes
This story is based on statements and records released by the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit and information provided by the University of Alabama Police Department and university officials. Local reporting that first published many of the public details was carried by Fox News; official updates, charging documents and public statements from law enforcement are the primary sources for confirmed facts.
GoFundMe pages created to assist the victims’ families are publicly listed online; readers should consult those pages or contact their organizers for details on donations and distribution of funds.
If you have information relevant to the investigation, contact the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit or local law enforcement. Students seeking counseling or support can reach the University of Alabama Office of Student Care and Well Being at https://studentcare.ua.edu.
