In the quiet community of Brookwood, Alabama, a grim discovery was made on July 6, 2026, that shattered the summer peace. Jose Felix Alvarez-Duenas, a 31-year-old man, was found shot to death inside a home on Alabama Junction Road. He was not alone; alongside him was another victim, 22-year-old University of Alabama student Jazmine Alexis Bates, who was also fatally shot. The homeowner, a friend of Alvarez-Duenas, was out of the a country and had asked him to house-sit and look after her dog.
When she was unable to reach him, she grew concerned and, after reviewing her doorbell camera footage which showed a suspicious person on her back porch, she contacted her landlord to request a wellness check. Responding officers made the tragic discovery, finding Alvarez-Duenas near the front of the house and Bates in a bedroom closet. In a final act of brutality, the homeowner's dog had also been shot and killed.
The investigation into the double homicide was swift, led by the Brookwood Police Department with assistance from the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. Investigators utilized the doorbell camera footage and other evidence at the scene to quickly identify a suspect: 24-year-old De'Kendrick Crawford. The footage reportedly showed Crawford throwing some of Alvarez-Duenas's belongings, including his phone and driver's license, into the woods behind the residence. It was revealed that Crawford had a connection to the victims and the homeowner; they were all former coworkers. While a specific motive for the heinous crime remained unclear to investigators, it was reported that Crawford and Alvarez-Duenas had a falling out and were no longer friends. The search for Crawford culminated in his apprehension just ten hours after the discovery of the bodies. He was found hiding in the attic crawl space of an extended family member's apartment.
In the wake of this senseless tragedy, the community was left to mourn the loss of two young lives. Jose Felix Alvarez-Duenas was remembered as a devoted single father to his three young children, ages 10, 9, and 4, for whom he had sole custody. Friends and family described him as a kind and charismatic man who was a wonderful son, a caring brother to his six sisters, and a friend who never met a stranger and was always willing to help others. De'Kendrick Crawford was taken into custody and has been charged with capital murder for the killing of more than one person. He is being held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail without bond. The case is an active investigation, and as the legal process unfolds, a community searches for answers and justice for the tragic and untimely deaths of Jose Felix Alvarez-Duenas and Jazmine Bates.
