Suvechha Sarkar
The tragic homicide of 30-year-old Nickolas Jazz Norwood in January 2022 sent shockwaves through the community of Tulsa, Oklahoma. His untimely death left his loved ones completely devastated and heartbroken. It led to the beginning of an extensive investigation during which detectives theorized that it might have been a drug deal that turned into a robbery. The case is revisited in A&E’s ‘The First 48: Murder Strikes at Midnight,’ which follows the investigators as they work to piece together Nickolas’ last moments. The episode also features the evidence that leads officials to the killers, eventually bringing them to justice.
Nickolas Norwood Was Found Dead on the Floor of His Living Room
Nickolas Jazz Norwood arrived as a beacon of light in his parents’ lives on September 17, 1991, in Muskogee, Oklahoma. From his childhood, he maintained a good relationship with his elder brother, Dawaan Norwood. Nickolas’ outgoing personality had helped him make many friends over the years. It is worth noting that little information is available about his early life. By 2022, Nickolas had settled at the Oakley Apartments near East Tecumseh Street and North Harvard Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His life took a tragic turn on January 11, 2022, when a neighbor found the 30-year-old’s apartment door slightly open.
Although the neighbor tried to contact Nickolas, he received no response and eventually entered the apartment to check around 8:45 am. The neighbor then discovered the 30-year-old lying on the living room floor and promptly called 911. When officials rushed to the scene, they found him dead with multiple gunshot wounds. Upon inspection, they found no signs of a break-in but noticed that Nickolas had signs of trauma on his remains. Investigators also discovered his cellphone inside the home. According to investigative reports, his family and friends told authorities that he was involved in selling drugs, a detail that later became relevant to the investigation. The autopsy report determined his cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.
Text Messages and Vehicle Identification Helped Officials Solve the Case
During the initial investigation, officials questioned the neighbor who had found Nickolas. According to reports, the neighbor told investigators that shortly after midnight on January 11, 2022, he had heard gunshots and had called and texted the 30-year-old to ask about it, but got no response. In his statements, the neighbor said that he found Nickolas the next morning after noticing his door slightly open. Further reports suggest that detectives learned from the family and friends of Nickolas that he was working as a drug dealer. When authorities checked his cellphone, they discovered a text message conversation between him and another woman, who wrote that she would bring her brother along with her to purchase a large amount of drugs.
As digital forensic experts tracked the phone number, they learned that it was associated with two women, including Lilie M. Crawford. Once they dug deeper, they discovered that the women owned a Ford Escape. Officials then found CCTV footage near Nickolas’ apartment, which captured Lilie’s brother, Rashawn M. Graham, filling up that same car with gas around half an hour before the homicide took place. Another gas station surveillance footage captured Lilie and Rashawn inside the Ford Escape. As per official records, authorities identified the same vehicle by the license plate number in another CCTV recording around the time of the murder. That video also showed the car arriving at Nickolas’ apartment on that fateful day.
Court records indicate that the officials theorized that Lilie might have set up a meeting to buy some drugs, but it turned into a robbery, resulting in Nickolas’ death. It is essential to note that no evidence confirmed the theory. On January 14, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Lilie and Rashawn. Both of them were ultimately arrested in Little Elm, Texas, on unrelated gun and marijuana charges. Yet, no public reports mention whether they were ever convicted or sentenced regarding those charges. Eventually, both of the siblings were charged with murder. When forensic experts examined their vehicle, they uncovered Nickolas’ ID card and wallet.
Lilie Crawford and Rashawn Graham Are Incarcerated at Separate Oklahoma Prisons Today
Following Lilie and Rashawn’s arrest in Texas, they were eventually extradited to Oklahoma. The prosecution built a strong case against both of them, including text messages and CCTV footage as pieces of evidence. They also introduced their interrogation records, during which Lilie admitted to being present at Nickolas’ apartment. However, in her statements, she claimed that her boyfriend and Rashawn were not present at the time of the murder, as per police records. Eventually, Lilie avoided a jury trial when she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on August 17, 2023, and was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison. Unlike Lilie, Rashawn’s jury trial began in 2025.
During the jury trial, the prosecution presented several pieces of evidence before the court, including the CCTV footage that captured Rashawn near the crime scene shortly before the murder. However, publicly available reports do not provide any information about his defense. Although he had initially sought to represent himself, it remains unclear if he proceeded with that decision. Rashawn was finally convicted of first-degree murder on January 13, 2025. Shortly after, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. As of writing, Lilie is serving her sentence at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McLoud, Oklahoma. Rashawn is currently incarcerated at the Great Plains Correctional Center in Hinton, Oklahoma.
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