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Funeral held for slain Clark Atlanta University student Alexis Crawford

Posted at 3:26 PM, Nov 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-16 15:26:30-05

The family and friends of Alexis Crawford gathered in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday to honor the memory of the 21-year-old Clark Atlanta University student who police say was killed by her roommate and her roommate’s boyfriend.

“This is not going to be about how she died or the evil that took her,” said Rev. Markel Hutchins. “Today we’re going to celebrate Alexis Crawford’s life.”

The funeral was originally supposed to be at Hill Chapel Baptist Church in Athens, Crawford’s hometown. But the service was moved to Cornerstone Church to accommodate everyone who wanted attend.

Congregants packed the church, shared their memories of Crawford and prayed for her family. The Clark Atlanta University choir sang gospel music.

One friend fondly recalled how she and Crawford would talk about their future and their dreams, how they’d be rich and have big houses.

“I’m going to live our dreams that we made together and make you proud,” she said. “Because at the end of the day, Lex was my sister. And I loved her like one.”

Suspects confessed to the murders, police say

The suspects in Crawford’s death have been identified by the Atlanta Police Department as her roommate, Jordyn Jones, and Jones’ boyfriend, Barron Brantley.

According to police, Brantley strangled Crawford to death sometime in the early morning hours of October 31.

Crawford and Jones had gotten into a “physical altercation,” and Brantley got involved, according to court documents. “As a result of the physical altercation, Barron Brantley choked the victim until she was deceased,” according to the documents.

Jones and Brantley then put Crawford in a plastic bin and left it in a Dekalb County park, the documents say, where her body was found on November 8. Jones and Brantley confessed to the crime that day, the documents state.

Days before she vanished, Crawford filed a police report that described unwanted kissing and touching from Brantley, police said.

Brantley has been charged with murder along with three probation violations and “hindering person making emergency telephone call,” according to the Fulton County Jail. Jones faces a murder charge.

Brantley and Jones waived their initial court appearances on Monday. Their court-appointed public defenders have not responded to CNN’s requests for comment.

In the past, Jones had spent holidays with Crawford’s family, Hutchins, a spokesman for Crawford’s family, previously told CNN in an interview. Sometimes, Crawford had called Jones her “best friend.”

“To know that someone that they welcomed into their homes played a role in Alexis’ death is all the more hurtful,” Hutchins said.