An Indiana man has been sentenced to serve several decades in prison after he fatally stabbed his roommate during an argument over sleeping arrangements.
Draylon Marquise Crutchfield was found guilty on May 14 on one count of murder for his involvement in the fatal stabbing Muhammad A. Williams.
Nearly one month later, Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull sentenced Crutchfield, 26, to 60 years in prison on Friday, June 12, according to Law & Crime.
Williams, 18, died in July 2025 at an apartment complex in the Oakland Park neighborhood of Fort Wayne, according to a press release issued by the city at the time of the killing.
Officers with the Fort Wayne Police Department reported to the scene, where they found the victim suffering from multiple stab wounds. Williams was then rushed to a nearby hospital in “life-threatening condition,” and he later died from his injuries.
Witnesses of the crime told investigators that Crutchfield and Williams had been arguing about the sleeping arrangements at their home, and their fight eventually turned physical. Crutchfield did not dispute the claims while speaking to police, but he did tell authorities that Williams – who was holding an infant at the beginning of the argument – attacked him first.
“Don’t be going to sleep on my mama’s couch,” Williams reportedly told Crutchfield around 9 p.m., according to the defendant’s claim that was included in a probable cause affidavit obtained by WANE. Crutchfield then claimed that Williams allegedly threatened to beat him up.
Crutchfield then claimed that he didn’t respond to Williams’ initial demand about where to sleep, but Williams allegedly wouldn’t drop the topic.
As the argument continued, Williams passed the infant to another person as the interaction intensified. It is not currently clear who the infant belonged to.
At some point, a third person in the apartment went outside to make a phone call. It was then that Williams’ words reportedly became more aggressive.
“I finna beat the s*** out of you man,” Williams allegedly said, per the affidavit. “I’ve been waiting on this s***.”
Crutchfield told police he was holding a knife when he said, “Don’t run up on me bro, don’t run up on me man.”
Williams allegedly threw the first punch, and a witness told police that “the fight did not last longer than three seconds before Draylon had stabbed Muhammad.”
Crutchfield claimed to police that Williams punched him in the head several times before he stabbed the victim an “unknown number of times,” per the charging document. Crutchfield also claimed his vision had gone blurry after he was hit on the head, which has caused him to not have complete clarity about the stabbing.
Once Crutchfield was done stabbing the victim, Williams ran outside and the defendant followed with the knife in his hand.
Crutchfield then went to a neighbor’s unit, where he admitted he stabbed Williams after he was punched in the face.
