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A man in Colorado has been sentenced to 97 years in prison for fatally shooting his sister and her boyfriend in an unprovoked attack. The attack was recorded by one of the victims, which played a crucial role in bringing the perpetrator to justice. The recording captured the events leading up to and including the murders. The man also pleaded guilty to beating the couple’s dog to death with a hammer. Law & Crime reported
Casey Devol, Jessica Mitchell, and Bryan Gray (KUSA screenshots)
A man in Colorado, aged 31, has received a sentence of 97 years in a state correctional facility for the murder of his sister and her boyfriend. The brutal attack, which was unprovoked and recorded by one of the victims, resulted in the deaths of Jessica Mitchell, 32, and Bryan Gray, 34. Judge Patricia Herron of Douglas County District ordered Casey Devol to serve the lengthy sentence, also finding him guilty of felony animal cruelty for killing the couple’s dog with a hammer. The sentencing hearing highlighted the importance of the audio recording made by Mitchell in bringing her brother to justice.
Devol pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of felony animal cruelty last month. Following the sentencing hearing, District Attorney John Kellner emphasized the significance of Mitchell’s recording, stating that it became a voice for the victims when no eyewitnesses were present. He commended Mitchell for her instincts in starting the recording, which helped detectives and prosecutors piece together the events of the crime.
According to a press release from the Office of the District Attorney for Douglas County, the incident occurred on February 8, 2022, when deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about two deceased individuals at a residence on S. Russellville Road. The victims were identified as Mitchell and Gray, and autopsies confirmed that both deaths were homicides caused by gunshot wounds.
During the investigation, surveillance footage from the property revealed a suspect carrying multiple firearms and entering the garage where the victims were found. A friend of Mitchell’s contacted investigators shortly after the murders, providing information that implicated Devol as a likely suspect. Devol’s driver’s license photo matched the appearance of the suspect seen on video entering the victims’ garage before the killings.
An important piece of evidence leading to Devol’s arrest was the digital recording device found on Mitchell during the autopsy. The device captured a lengthy audio recording of the events leading up to and including the murders. Devol was apprehended at a hotel in Kansas the day after the bodies were discovered.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Andrew Steers emphasized the significance of Mitchell’s recording in establishing Devol’s presence at the crime scene. The recording captured a conversation between the three individuals during dinner, but the motive behind the shooting remains unclear. Steers stated that only Devol can provide answers to the question of “why.”
According to the Denver Gazette, Mitchell began recording while the three were having dinner and continued to record until the tragic events unfolded. A family member who listened to the recording testified in court, stating that Devol could be heard staging and taunting the victims’ bodies before proceeding to beat their dog with a hammer. Prior to the shooting, the conversation between the three individuals was described as “jovial.”
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