In the winter of 2018, the life of 17-year-old Tysiona LaShay Crawford, a Black/African American female from South Bend, Indiana, was tragically cut short. On the evening of January 18th, an argument with her ex-boyfriend escalated into a fatal act of violence. Tysiona was shot while driving her car, causing the vehicle to crash. First responders found a red Toyota on its side at the intersection of Clover Street and Hildreth Road, riddled with bullet holes. Tysiona was discovered inside with a gunshot wound to the head and was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead on January 19, 2018. She was a senior at Washington High School, where she was a cheerleader and ran track, and had been looking forward to her graduation.
The investigation into Tysiona's death swiftly led to her 21-year-old ex-boyfriend, Rahim Brumfield. Prosecutors asserted that Brumfield shot and killed Tysiona after they had gotten into an argument.
Following the investigation, Brumfield was arrested and charged with her murder. A second individual, Takisha Jacobs, was also implicated in the case and faced charges of assisting a criminal.
Rahim Brumfield's case went to trial, a period marked by high tensions that necessitated extra security in the courtroom. In May 2019, a jury found him guilty of murder. The conviction also included a firearm enhancement, which added to his sentence. On June 14, 2019, Rahim Brumfield was sentenced to a total of 60 years in prison for the murder of Tysiona Crawford. The sentence consisted of 55 years for the murder charge and an additional five years for the firearm enhancement. Takisha Jacobs' trial for assisting a criminal was scheduled to take place later.
The profound grief of Tysiona's family was compounded by another devastating tragedy nearly two years after her death. In January 2020, just days before the two-year anniversary of Tysiona's murder, her parents, Doneisha Jones, 36, and Tyson Crawford, 37, were found deceased in their home from gunshot wounds. Authorities later confirmed that their deaths were the result of a murder-suicide. Autopsy results revealed that Tyson Crawford had been shot twice, while Doneisha Jones died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This heartbreaking event left Tysiona's younger sister as the sole surviving member of her immediate family.
