Fort Worth man fatally stabbed victim who kept bugging him as he walked home: warrant

Christopher Phillips was walking home in the early morning hours of Sept. 9 in west Fort Worth, listening to videos through his headphones when a man attempted to stop him, he told police.

The man made comments such as, “Isn’t it beautiful, why are you alive, why am I alive,” and ”You ain’t so cool, I ain’t so cool, why can’t we all just be cool?”

The 41-year-old Phillips thought the man was intoxicated and yelled for him to leave him alone, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

After Phillips repeatedly yelled at the man to stay away from him, the man walked up to Phillips, their “stomachs touched,” and Phillips stabbed the man, he told police, according to the warrant obtained on Tuesday by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Phillips then called 911 and waited for Fort Worth police to arrive. Authorities found the wounded man, who was later identified as Jasen Robert Crenshaw, 37, of Fort Worth. Crenshaw was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.

Phillips was arrested Sept. 13 and charged with murder. He was in the Tarrant County Jail on Wednesday with bond set at $75,000.

The warrant written by Detective J.W. Galloway provided these additional details on the fatal stabbing:

Phillips told detectives that he got off work at 11 p.m. on Sept. 8, and started walking home like he normally does on most nights.

At about 2 a.m. on Sept. 9, Phillips was in the Locke Avenue and Darwood Avenue area when Crenshaw showed up and appeared to be saying something to Phillips. Crenshaw grabbed Phillips from behind, but Phillips quickly pushed him away and turned down his phone to hear what Crenshaw was saying, Phillips said.

Phillips, who said he didn’t know Crenshaw, told detectives that Crenshaw kept making comments that made no sense.

Phillips walked away from Crenshaw and lost sight of him, but at some point, Crenshaw appeared again and continued talking, he said.

Phillips told Fort Worth police he feared Crenshaw because of his erratic behavior.

When their “stomachs touched,” Phillips told detectives he stabbed Crenshaw once in the abdomen with a knife that Phillips carried in his front right pants pocket.

Phillips called 911, reported that he had stabbed a man and remained on the phone until police arrived.

When they arrived, police found Phillips standing near Crenshaw.

In an interview after the stabbing, Phillips explained to detectives the area where the stabbing occurred was not well lit, but Crenshaw was close enough to him that he could see him clearly. At one point, Phillips said he thought Crenshaw had a shirt in his hand, but when he stabbed him Phillips did not see anything in Crenshaw’s hands.

When asked if Crenshaw ever threatened him, Phillips said Crenshaw repeatedly said something about, “why are you alive, why am I alive.”

When he was a child, Phillips started seeing psychiatrists at the age of 9 because he was hearing voices and seeing things, according to court documents.

At 18, he was arrested for drawing a gun on his sister and threatening her, the documents say.

He was sentenced to 72 months of probation in August 1998, according to Tarrant County court records..