On a quiet Super Bowl Sunday in 2014, a 911 call from a luxury apartment in Coppell, Texas, changed everything. Brenda Lazaro was on the line. She was panicked. She told the dispatcher that her boyfriend, Jonathan Crews, had just shot himself to prove how much he loved her. It sounds like a scene from a dark psychological thriller, but for the Crews family, it was the start of a decade-long nightmare that has yet to truly end.
The case of Brenda Lazaro and Jonathan Crews is one of those rare instances where the legal system seems to split in two. On one side, you have the criminal justice system that never filed charges. On the other, you have a civil jury that looked at the exact same evidence and decided Brenda was responsible for Jonathan’s death.
If you're looking for a simple "whodunit" with a neat ending, you won't find it here. This is a story about obsession, a mysterious "Emily," and a $206 million judgment that Brenda Lazaro likely can't ever pay.
The Night Everything Broke
February 2, 2014. While most of the country was finishing up Super Bowl celebrations, things were tense at Jonathan’s apartment. Jonathan was a 27-year-old operations manager at a healthcare company. He was known for being kind, ambitious, and maybe a little too patient. Brenda was his girlfriend, and according to friends and family, she was intensely jealous.
Brenda told police that Jonathan had said, "I love you. I'm going to prove how much I love you," before pulling the trigger of his 9mm Sig Sauer while lying in bed.
Does that sound right to you? It certainly didn't to the investigators or Jonathan's family.
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People who knew Jonathan said he wasn't suicidal. He had everything to live for. He was making plans for the future. And then there's the physics of the thing. Jonathan was found lying on his back, tucked under the covers. The bullet entered his chest. For a man to shoot himself in that position and then end up perfectly tucked back into bed is... a stretch.
Actually, it's more than a stretch. It's almost physically impossible.
Why Brenda Lazaro Faced a Civil Trial Instead of Jail
This is the part that drives people crazy. Why wasn't she arrested? The Coppell Police Department and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office looked at the case for years. They labeled the death "undetermined." In the world of criminal law, you need "beyond a reasonable doubt." Because there were no witnesses other than Brenda, and the forensic evidence was just messy enough to create doubt, the state didn't think they could win.
But Jonathan’s parents, Pam and John Crews, weren't going away.
They did something that many families do when the criminal system fails: they filed a wrongful death lawsuit. In a civil trial, the burden of proof is lower. You only need a "preponderance of the evidence." Basically, is it more likely than not that she did it?
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In 2022, after years of delays, a jury finally heard the case. They didn't just find her liable; they sent a message. They awarded the Crews family $206 million.
Think about that number. It’s a staggering sum meant to signify the weight of the loss and the jury's belief in her guilt. Brenda, who had since married and changed her name to Brenda Lazaro Kelley, sat through the trial. She didn't testify. She invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination over and over again.
The "Emily" Factor
Jealousy is a hell of a drug. Throughout the investigation, a name kept popping up: Emily Ramsey.
Emily was a friend of Jonathan’s. Brenda was reportedly convinced that something was going on between them, even though Jonathan insisted they were just friends. Friends testified that Brenda's jealousy was suffocating. She allegedly monitored his phone, his emails, and his social interactions.
On the night he died, Jonathan had actually told Brenda that they were done. He was breaking up with her.
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Think about the timing. A man who is supposedly so in love that he kills himself to prove it, right after he tries to end the relationship? The math just doesn't add up. Most experts who have looked at the case of Brenda Lazaro and Jonathan Crews see the breakup as the ultimate trigger. If she couldn't have him, no one would.
Where Does the Case Stand Now?
Honestly, the $206 million is mostly symbolic. Brenda Lazaro doesn't have that kind of money. But for the Crews family, it was never about the cash. It was about the public declaration of what happened in that room.
As of 2026, the criminal case remains cold, though the family still hopes that new forensic technology or a witness coming forward might change that. The civil judgment stands as a permanent mark on Brenda's record.
What can we actually learn from this tragedy?
- Trust the physics: If the scene doesn't match the story, the story is usually a lie. Forensic experts in the civil trial pointed out that the trajectory of the bullet and the lack of soot on Jonathan's hands strongly suggested he didn't pull the trigger.
- Civil court is a powerful tool: When the DA won't move, a wrongful death suit can provide a sense of justice, even if it's not a jail cell.
- Watch for "The Exit": Domestic violence or obsessive behavior often peaks at the moment one person tries to leave.
If you find yourself following this case, the best thing you can do is stay informed on the nuances of Texas law regarding "undetermined" deaths. The Crews family continues to advocate for justice, and their persistence has turned a forgotten "suicide" into a landmark civil case that law students still study today.
Check local Dallas news archives for any potential reopening of the criminal investigation—though, without a confession or a new smoking gun, the civil verdict remains the only official word on who killed Jonathan Crews.