BROOKWOOD, Ala. — Two people and a dog were found dead during a wellness check in Brookwood, Alabama. The person accused of killing them was found hiding in an attic crawl space hours later.
The bodies of University of Alabama student Jazmine Alexis Bates and Jose “Felix” Alvarez-Duenas were found on July 6. Alvarez-Duenas was house-sitting and looking after the dog of one of his friends, AL.com reported.
The homeowner was out of the country and was not able to reach Alvarez-Duenas, according to WVTM. They checked doorbell camera footage and saw someone acting suspiciously on the back porch overnight and contacted their landlord, who asked for a wellness check.
Alvarez-Duenas was found near the front entrance of the home, while Bates was found in a bedroom closet.
Both of them, along with the homeowner’s dog, were shot and killed.
Officials said Bates was visiting Alvarez-Duenas at the time.
Using the doorbell camera footage and other evidence, police identified De’Kendrick Crawford and got a warrant for his arrest.
Other footage allegedly showed Crawford throwing something into the woods behind the home. Police found Alvarez-Duenas’s phone and driver’s license in the area, WBRC reported.
After a search of electronic data and other locations, they eventually found Crawford hiding in a crawl space between apartments, one of which was of an extended family member. He was taken into custody about 10 hours after the bodies were found, according to WBRC.
Investigators said that Alvarez-Duenas and Bates knew both the homeowner and Crawford through past jobs and that Crawford and Alvarez-Duenas were no longer friends after a falling out, but there was nothing police found that would lead to a motive in the killings, WVTM reported.
© 2026 Cox Media Group
