The woman jailed along with her boyfriend for killing Clark Atlanta student Alexis Crawford was the 21-year-old’s best friend and spent some holidays with her family, a family spokesman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Rev. Markel Hutchins told the paper that Jordyn Jones, Crawford’s roommate at an off-campus apartment, spent Thanksgiving and Easter with the Crawfords.
“They knew Jordyn, they liked Jordyn,” Hutchins said. “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. … To go from that to where we are today, it’s unthinkable, unspeakable.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Atlanta police found the body of Alexis Crawford, 21, at Exchange Park in Decatur on Friday. Crawford had been missing since October 30.
During a Friday press conference, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields announced that Jones and Jones’ boyfriend, Barron Brantley, both 21, are suspects in the case and have been arrested. One of the suspects led authorities to Crawford’s body, Shields said. Both have been charged with murder and are being held in Fulton County Jail.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said Crawford died of asphyxiation.
Hutchins said Jones and Crawford had been friends since their first year at Clark Atlanta and that Crawford considered Jones her best friend. He also said he had “very strong feelings” about the response to Crawford’s police report against Brantley for “unwanted kissing and touching” just three days before she disappeared.
“I don’t think any rational or right-thinking person would think those incidents are disconnected,” Hutchins said. “I think we have more questions than answers.”
Crawford explained that Brantley later followed her to the bathroom, according to the police report. She said she remembered he had no shirt on before she blacked out. The college student said she didn’t think they had sex, but a rape kit was administered at Grady Hospital.
According to a missing persons report viewed by CrimeOnline, Crawford’s mother and sisters, along with Jones, reported her missing on November 1.
Jones told police that she was not on speaking terms with Jones due to a “separate incident.” However, Jones admitted that she took Crawford to the liquor store at around 11:30 p.m. on October 29. Jones claimed when she woke up the following morning, Crawford was not there.
“Ms. Alexis Crawford purchased a bottle of Jose Cuervo Tequila Gold. Ms. Jones stated that Ms. Alexis Crawford wasn’t in the residence the following morning when Ms. Jones left for class the next morning. Ms. Jones stated that the front door was dead bolted/locked and Ms. Alexis Crawford wasn’t in the living room or her bedroom.”
Brantley waived his first court appearance on Saturday morning. His next hearing is scheduled for November 22 at the Fulton Superior Court. Court records haven’t yet listed Jones’ first court appearance date.
Court records indicate that at the time of his arrest, Brantley was out on bond for unrelated charges, including theft by taking, cruelty to children, family violence, and hindering a person making a 911 call.
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[Feature Photo: Alexis Crawford/Instagram]
