Deon Crowell

A photograph of Deon, obtained from The Miami Times.

On April 13th, 2020, Deon Crowell passed away from COVID-19 at the age of 51. Deon leaves behind his wife, daughter, two grandchildren, and four siblings. Originally from Washington D.C., Deon was the owner and operator of Crowell Landscape. He was a considerate man known for being there for older neighbors and keeping his neighborhood clean. He will be missed by family, friends, neighbors, and anyone else who had the chance to know him.

Deon on a motorcycle, obtained from The Miami Times.

As cases of COVID-19 rose in the United States, Deon’s attorney requested a medical release for Deon on March 20th because his diabetic health conditions made him particularly susceptible to the virus. Deon was waiting for trial; he had not yet been convicted of a crime. The judge did not make any decisions on the request, and Deon stayed at the D.C. Correctional Treatment Facility before being diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized on April 7th. Deon passed away shortly afterwards on April 13th. He was the first incarcerated person to pass away from COVID-19 at the D.C. Central Detention Facility.

Had he been granted release, Deon would not have had his life cut short. Deon’s death was preventable. He will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.

This memorial was written by MOL team member Claire Lee with information from reporting by Saliqa Khan and Nathan Baca of WUSA9, Micha Green of The Miami Times, and Katelyn Polantz of CNN.