Police: Teen killed to stop testimony in rape case
NEWPORT NEWS — A teenager whose body was found in Newport News two weeks after she disappeared in early September was killed in order to block her from testifying in a Norfolk sexual-assault case, court documents allege.
Asia Cowell, 17, of Norfolk, had accused a man of sodomizing her and trying to rape her in May, and the case was pending in court when she vanished.
Police say two women — including the sister of the man accused of sexual assault — “conspired to eliminate Asia Cowell to prevent her from testifying in the upcoming rape case,” according to a criminal complaint filed this week by a Newport News police detective.
The women lured Asia to a Norfolk home Sept. 7, under the guise that they would pay her for styling their hair, the complaint said. But with the help of another man, they forced her into a car, with the two women driving her at gunpoint to a wooded area of Newport News. According to the complaint, they walked her “deeper into the woods” and shot her.
Asia’s body was found at 11:17 a.m. Sept. 22 near a wood line behind the Headlights Gentlemen’s Club, a strip joint at 16906 Warwick Boulevard north of Fort Eustis.
Crystal Albritton, 30, of West Kenmore Drive in Norfolk, and Dazha L. Feaster, 18, of Acorn Street in Chesapeake, are charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, abduction and using a gun in a felony, according to documents filed in Newport News Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
Albritton also is charged with criminal solicitation.
The complaint, completed by Newport News Police Detective Brittany Beggs, outlines the case, saying that Cowell’s aunt told police she dropped Asia off at the Norfolk apartment in the early afternoon of Sept. 7 “to do the resident’s hair.”
The aunt, Tatina Cowell, told police Asia was supposed to call her when she was done, and that she’d go to pick her up. “After a few hours had passed,” Tatina called Asia, wondering where she was. But she didn’t pick up her phone.
The West Kenmore Drive home’s two residents — Albritton and one of her relatives, Devin Albritton, 38 — later acknowledged to police that Asia had been there that day.
“Crystal Albritton stated that she was unsatisfied with the work (Asia) did,” but paid her anyway and asked her to leave, telling police that Asia left the home on foot at about 2 p.m.
But that story wasn’t true, Beggs’ complaint said.
Instead, the detective wrote, investigators would later learn that Asia had been “lured to the residence by individuals who conspired to kill her.”
The complaint said when she arrived at the home for what she thought would be a braiding gig, she met the Albrittons and another female, Feaster, who was 17 at the time but has since turned 18.
During the police investigation into Asia’s slaying, Feaster and Devin Albritton both “admitted to their involvement in Asia Cowell’s murder,” the criminal complaint said.
“Dazha Feaster admitted she knew Asia Cowell was the victim in a pending rape case involving (Feaster’s) brother, Desean Corum, who was still in custody at the time,” the complaint said.
According to records filed in Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, Desean Lavelle Corum, 30, of Greenleaf Drive in Norfolk, was charged in May with attempted rape, two counts of sodomy and one count of attempted sodomy, two counts of strangling and one count of abduction with the intent to defile.
A judge also issued a protective order against Corum on May 8 after Asia’s aunt said that he “threw Asia ... against a wall, choked her, threw her onto floor, etc.” The judge at that hearing determined that Corum “assaulted” Cowell “and attempted to sexually assault her.”
The complaint filed this week in the murder case said that Devin Albritton knew the women’s plans “prior to Asia Cowell arriving” for the braiding, “and assisted in her abduction.”
He told police that Feaster and Crystal Albritton “conspired to eliminate Asia Cowell” to block her testimony in that case, the criminal complaint said.
Feaster and Devin Albritton “both admitted to helping Crystal Albritton subdue Asia Cowell inside the residence when she arrived” in the home for the hair service, the complaint said.
It was not clear from the complaint how they were able to “subdue” her, but the Albrittons got Asia into Crystal’s car. Then, with Crystal Albritton at the wheel, the women drove to Newport News.
“Dazha Feaster admitted to sitting in the rear of the vehicle with Crystal’s gun to contain Asia Cowell,” the complaint said.
When they got to the wooded area in northern Newport News, “Dazha Feaster admitted to holding Asia Cowell at gunpoint” as Feaster and Albritton walked her “deep into the woods.”
Feaster said that Albritton “eventually told Asia Cowell to stop.”
Then she told Feaster to shoot Asi, the complaint said. But Feaster hesitated.
“After attempting to convince Dazha Feaster to hurry up, Crystal Albritton took the gun ... and shot Asia Crowell herself,” the complaint said.
Devin Albritton didn’t come to Newport News, the complaint said, but Crystal later told him that she shot Asia, the complaint said. “Devin Albritton admitted to disposing Asia Cowell’s belongings and cellphone,” and he also disposed of the gun.
The complaint appears to indicate that Devin Albritton would be charged in the case as well, but Newport News police — who are leading the investigation — did not respond to an inquiry Thursday afternoon on whether such charges would be filed and in what jurisdiction.
The sexual assault charges that Asia Cowell filed against Corum in Norfolk in May were dropped Sept. 29 — a week after her body was found.
“As we’d been notified Ms. Cowell was deceased, the preliminary hearing did not go forward,” said Amanda Howie, a spokeswoman for the Norfolk
Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors made a motion to drop the case, “and our motion was accepted by the court.”
Tatina Cowell, also Asia’s legal guardian, declined to comment Thursday about the arrests. But she later released a statement through a family spokesman, Sarita Scott.
“We are very pleased and overjoyed to hear the news regarding the arrest of several suspects in our dear Asia Cowell’s case,” Scott wrote in an email.
“We would like to thank the diligent and hard-working law enforcement officials of the Newport News Police Department and the Norfolk Police Department,” she wrote. “We would also like to thank the Hampton Roads community and beyond for all the prayers and outpouring of support we have received over the past several months. All of you are very much appreciated.”
Feaster and Crystal Albritton appeared for arraignments in Newport News Juvenile Court on Wednesday and Thursday. Albritton has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 24, while Feaster is next due in court Dec. 17.
They are being held without bond at Newport News City Jail.