‘Dateline’ to examine Coppell man’s 2014 death

NBC’s Dateline will examine the story behind the death of Jonathan Crews, a Coppell man who was fatally shot in his apartment in 2014.

A Dallas County jury decided in a three-day civil trial on Sept. 23 that Brenda Kelly, Crews’ former girlfriend, was responsible for his death and awarded the Crews family $206 million in damages.

At the time of the civil trial, Kelly was not charged with a crime in connection with Crews’ death.

A lawyer for the Crews family asked jurors to award the family more than $129 million. The jury increased the final award, Crews’ lawyers told The Dallas Morning News

In a two-hour episode titled “Behind Door 813,″ airing at 8 p.m. Friday, Dateline will explore the case, cover the civil trial and examine why the investigation has remained at a standstill. ABC’s 20/20 also examined the case in 2017.

Pam Crews, Jonathan’s mother, testified during the trial that she wanted the story of her son’s death to be a true story. She said the six-person jury’s verdict set the record straight.

“I just wanted the record clear for Jonathan,” she said after the trial. “I’m satisfied.”

On the night of Crews’ death, Kelly called 911 and said Crews shot himself to prove his love to her. She maintained she didn’t kill Crews, her lawyer Andrew Jee said at the time.

A Coppell police investigation failed to conclude whether Crews’ death was a homicide or the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Dallas County Medical Examiner could not determine a manner of death.

In 2016, the Crews family turned to Dallas County civil courts to get answers.

In a release, Dateline said the episode will include interviews with Crews’ parents, jury foreman Eddie Brown, former prosecutor Mike Snipes, private investigator Sheila Wysocki and never-before-seen police body cam footage. Naheed Rajwani, a former News reporter who covered the trial, will also appear in the episode, according to Axios Dallas.