ATLANTA — Could the young couple accused of killing Clark Atlanta student Alexis Crawford face the death penalty? An Atlanta defense attorney believes it's a possibility.
Jordyn Jones and Barron Brantley were indicted for her murder, and experienced attorney Darryl Cohen said the nature of the crime could call for harsh punishment.
“By strangling her and murdering her, not just leaving her there as if it were a crime of passion, this was a crime that they thought about and they conceived it and did it together," Cohen said. "If there were ever a death penalty case, this screams it."
Investigators said the two suffocated Crawford with a trash bag, then dumped her body in a Decatur park several days after Crawford reported Brantley sexually assaulted her.
In addition to six other charges, Brantley was indicted for sodomy. Cohen explained why the extra charge was tacked on for Brantley.
"To show he had a reason to do what he did. There had been a rape, sodomy, and so, therefore, it escalated," Cohen said. "If they had just indicted him for the murder, then they would have had to bring that up anyway, so why not expose the jury to it beforehand.”
The death penalty would only play a part if this went to trial. Cohen said they could plead guilty before then or even testify against each other.
“If he or she testifies against the other, then they would likely take the death penalty off the table for that person and it would ensure them of getting a plea of guilty if they want to do it," he said. "Then, they could get life in prison and more likely than not, they would have the possibility or the probability of parole.”
11Alive reached out to District Attorney Paul Howard to see if he would consider this a death penalty case, but he hasn’t responded.
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