A Dallas County civil jury has decided that the then-girlfriend of a Coppell man who died in 2014 was responsible for his death.

Two years after Jonathan Crew’s death, his bereaved family turned to Dallas County civil courts in 2016 for vindication.

The 27-year-old Baylor University graduate died on the night of February 2, 2014. Officers dispatched to his apartment in Coppell found his body in his bed, face up under the sheets, with his SIG Sauer 9mm pistol by his side.

Brenda Lazaro, his girlfriend of three months at the time, called 911 to report a shooting. She claimed that Crews had shot himself in the heart to prove his love for her.

Jonathan’s death was investigated in 2014. However, Coppell police gave no conclusion as to whether he shot himself or was murdered.

The County’s medical examiner also could not determine the manner of death. Not being told of a murder investigation, he wrote “Undetermined” on the death certificate.

In 2016, Crews’ family filed a lawsuit against Lazaro, now Brenda Kelly, accusing her of shooting him. Testimony in the trial began on September 21.

At the start of the trial, Thomas Shaw, the plaintiff’s lawyer, said, “The criminal justice system has failed. We’re here because these parents want the story of Jonathan’s life and death to be a true story.”

When asked if she had ever thought about how Jonathan’s death affected his mother, Kelly said that she would like to answer the question but respectfully declined and asserted her Fifth Amendment right as advised by her lawyer, the court document says.

For every subsequent question, she reemphasized, “I respectfully invoke my privilege against self-incrimination.”

In the audience was Jonathan’s mom, Pam Crews, who held on tightly to a teddy bear her son gifted her one holiday.

During the lengthy testimony, Kelly’s husband, Jason, embraced her while Kelly hid her face in his chest.

Thomas Shaw asked the six-person jury to award the family at least $129 million.

However, after about 3 hours, the jurors deliberated and reached a unanimous verdict to award the Crews $206 million.

During the three-day-long trial, Pam testified that she wanted the story of her son’s death to be set straight. “I just wanted the record clear for Jonathan,” she said. “I’m satisfied.”

Kelly maintained a stoic appearance when the verdict was read and remained silent as she made her way out of the courtroom.

She insisted throughout her testimony that she did not kill Crews, per her lawyer Andrew Jee. Jee added that they were undecided whether they would appeal the verdict.

Jee said, “It’s important for people to realize the standard of proof and the amount of evidence needed in a civil court is very low. But we respect the decision of the jury.”

Friends testified about Kelly’s conflicting stories about the incident. One friend said Kelly told him Crews shot himself in the head. Another said Kelly told her he shot himself in his chest.

A retired Houston police detective, Darrell Robertson, testified for the Crews family and explained that it didn’t make sense for Crews to have shot himself. In his testimony, he said the deceased “would have had to contort his body to inflict the wound on the left side of his chest.”

To back Robertson’s theory, Crews had seen a doctor two days before his death about a strain to his right shoulder.

“It defies common sense,” said Robertson, that Crews would have shot himself on that part of his chest despite the shoulder pain.

Robertson also pointed to gunshot residue found on Kelly’s palms, the backs of her hands, and her sweatshirt. Fewer gunshot residue particles were found on the victim, Robertson said.

Disputing this information, Jee thought it was misleading to say they found more gunshot residue on Kelly than on Crews when crime scene investigators only tested the back of Crews’ hands.

They didn’t test his palms or his clothing, according to a Coppell police report submitted into evidence.

Jee speculated Kelly got gunshot residue on her when she tried to apply pressure over the wound to arrest the bleeding.

A neighbor said she heard a gunshot about 30 minutes prior to Kelly coming to her door for the apartment complex’s address.

A 911 operator had asked Kelly to find the address to the apartment from a neighbor because she could not describe where she was. Crews had just moved into the apartment when he died.

Shaw, the Crews’ lawyer, asserted that Kelly’s delay in getting help may have been intentional. He argued that Kelly was fiercely jealous of women who were friends with Crews.

He specifically pointed out her anger about Crew’s good friend, Emily Ramsey. Emily and Jonathan had hugged in Kelly’s presence at a group dinner three months before his death.

Text messages between Crews and his sister revealed he was considering breaking up his relationship with Kelly the night he was shot.

Ramsey, however, received a text message from Crews’ phone shortly before 11 p.m. saying, “I want to die.” She believes Kelly sent the message.