While awaiting his April trial in the shooting death of his parents, Alex Crain has been threatened by an inmate, disciplined for a water balloon fight, celebrated a birthday and visited 78 times by loved ones.
His ‘Nana,’ grandmother Nancy Ward, has seen the teen twice a week, or 36 times, at the adult jail. She is the mother of Alex’s 39-year-old slain mother, Kelly Crain.
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‘This is what my daughter would have wanted me to do,’ Ward said, her voice calm and direct, ‘even under these circumstances. I support my grandson. I’m concentrating on him and when it’s done and over with I’ll mourn for her.’
Ward, 65, said it’s difficult to see her now-15-year-old grandson in the orange jumpsuit behind the glass, but supporting him is as fundamental as a mother bear protecting her cubs. She said without her Alex has no one.
‘I feel like this wasn’t under his control, what he did, he didn’t set out to maliciously kill his parents, something went wrong that morning,’ she said. ‘(Kelly) would support him.’
The Palmetto Ridge High School student is accused of shooting his parents, Kelly and Thomas Crain, at their home on Dec. 9. Alex has been charged as an adult and could face up to 60 years in prison if convicted on two counts of second-degree felony manslaughter.
That said, Ward understands that legally there must be retribution.
‘I feel sorry for him, it really hurts me,’ she said about seeing her grandson in jail. ‘But, he did something wrong and now he has to pay for it.’
The hour-long visits, she said, are not spent talking about what happened, primarily because Alex tells her he doesn’t remember it.
Rather, they swap stories about family gatherings and recount the sillier times. She remembers a cheerful Alex coming over to her house and telling elaborate stories he made up and everyone laughing along with him.
‘He loved his parents,’ she said. ‘He still does. He talks about them often, the good times they had.’ But talking about the good times is all Alex has now.
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During the last six months, Ward said Alex has ‘gone through puberty’ under the watchful eyes of the Collier County jail guards.
A month into his incarceration in the juvenile wing, Alex said he was scared for his life, according to jail reports. One of Alex’s attorneys, Brian Bieber, contacted the jail and said Alex was being threatened in his housing area.
Bieber, the report says, could not furnish a name of the aggressor but said, ‘Alex was in fear for his life and wanted to be segregated in his own cell.’
That day in April, Alex received his own cell.
Though Ward consistently comes to see her grandson, his grandfather, Michael Brooks Ward, has only come twice. However, Nancy Ward said that her husband supports her staunch stance to stand by Alex.
She would not comment on other family members, namely Alex’s two half-brothers, who now live with the Wards.
One brother, Nicholas Straight, 23, one of Kelly Crain’s sons from a previous marriage, is Alex’s guardian. He has visited Alex once – four days after he was moved from the juvenile detention center to the adult jail. Straight stayed for an hour. His other brother, Jonathan Straight, 19, has not yet been to visit.
Among the 18 different visitors, three have been clergymen – one has come 14 times since March.
On Alex’s 15th birthday, July 19, his Nana, who is also often seen sitting behind him at his court appearances, came to visit as well as two of his cousins.
She said Alex and a fellow inmate baked a makeshift cake out of items they pooled together from the commissary and decorated it with sprinkles.
‘He’s gone through puberty in there,’ Ward said. ‘His voice has changed, he’s lost his baby face, it’s hard to think about him getting older.’
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Alex’s friends have also come to visit. Though the Daily News reached out to the friends and other family, they declined to comment.
Another jail incident report shows that during a routine cell search also in April, Alex, along with four other teens, was disciplined for having excess uniforms, linens, food and trash. They are minor rule violations, but they fall under a blanket charge of possession of a contraband, according to jail records.
About two weeks later, Alex’s fun-loving personality began to manifest but was quickly tamed. He along with three others ? who were also part of the previous charge of possession of a contraband ? were reprimanded for having a water balloon fight.
Alex Crain, Alejandro Perez, 17 ? who is also facing a manslaughter charge ? Anthony Touchton, 18, and Oshea Khyri Coleman, 17, filled plastic gloves with water for a homemade balloon fight. The guard ordered everyone on lockdown, and removed more contraband after a shakedown of the cells.
The confiscated materials included hygiene items, overdue library books and excessive linens – which were returned to the laundry room.
The four, including Alex, were charged with conduct which disrupts or interferes with the security or orderly running of the institution and failure to follow safety or sanitation regulations.
Besides being a typical messy teenager, Ward said Alex never showed any signs of violence, anger, or any mental-health issues.
She also said she doesn’t look at Alex being in jail as justice being served for her daughter’s death.
‘Something went wrong in his head, in his mind, that caused him to do this,’ she said. ‘I hope he doesn’t go to prison and gets the help and the treatment that he needs.’
When asked about Alex now and how he’s coping and adapting, Bieber, his attorney, responded as he always does.
‘The position remains status quo,’ Bieber said. ‘Under the circumstances, he’s dealing with this horribly tragic incident as well as any 15-year-old could.’
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
