Alexis Crawford and Jordyn Jones were so close that a friend of the Crawford family described the pair as “two peas in a pod”—with Jones spending substantial amounts of time at Crawford’s home. Now, Jones stands accused of murdering her friend and roommate in a case that has left many baffled.
Rev. Markel Hutchins, speaking on behalf of Crawford’s family, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution they “knew Jordyn, they liked Jordyn. There was never a reason to suspect that Jordyn would do anything wrong or ill to Alexis.”
“One family member described them as two peas in a pod,” Hutchins added. “To go from that to where we are today, it’s unthinkable, unspeakable.”
Jones had even spent holidays with Crawford’s family. “That makes that tragedy all the more difficult to understand and reconcile,” Hutchins said. “She spent time with the family, in the family home.”
Jones and her boyfriend, Barron Brantley, have been charged with felony murder for Crawford’s death, the AJC reports. Crawford was found dead last Friday in Exchange Park after one of the suspects led police to her body; authorities believe she was killed between Oct. 30—the last time her family heard from her—and Nov. 1, when her family reported her missing. A medical examiner determined the 21-year-old Clark Atlanta University student died from asphyxiation.
Police have yet to announce a motive in Crawford’s killing. But three days before Crawford went missing, she filed a police report against Brantley saying he sexually assaulted her.
From the Washington Post:
According to the report, Crawford told authorities on Oct. 27 that Brantley had mistaken her for his girlfriend, Jones, and subjected her to unwanted touching and kissing.
Crawford said he rubbed her shoulder and kissed her on the neck while they drank, and when she entered a restroom alone, Brantley followed.
Jones told police she found Crawford locked inside the restroom wearing only a bra. Authorities also recovered a “pair of cut panties” in the restroom, according to the police report.
Jones, Crawford, and Brantley were drinking at the apartment Jones and Crawford shared that night. The police report also indicates Crawford went to the hospital for a rape examination. After she reported the assault, Crawford told friends she was uncomfortable sleeping in her own room and had been sleeping on the couch. When Jones was interviewed after Crawford had gone missing, she told police that she and Crawford weren’t on speaking terms, but claimed the falling out was due to a “separate incident.”
As the AJC reports, Brantley’s arrest violates his bond condition for charges levied against him earlier this year. He was arrested for theft, battery, and cruelty to children according to booking records. He was denied bond.
Hundreds of Clark Atlanta students gathered on Sunday night for a candlelight vigil for Crawford.
Speaking to CBS News about the reaction to Crawford’s death on campus, student government president Levon Campbell said, “the mood has been very hard. A lot of students have been trying to take into account what happened and just find answers to things we can’t find answers to.”