A woman taped her final exams shortly before she was killed, leading to decades in jail for her brother, Colorado prosecutors said.
Casey Devol was sentenced to 31 to 97 years in prison after being charged with shooting and murdering his sister, Jessica Mitchell, 32, her boyfriend, Bryan Gray, 34, and beating their dog to death in February 2022, according to a news report from August 7. release of the 18th Judicial District Attorney.
Mitchell’s audio recording of her murder helped “prosecutors put this mystery together and bring justice to their families,” District Attorney John Kellner said in the release. “When there were no eyewitnesses to these murders, a digital recorder became a voice for the victims.”
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Mitchell and Gray were found dead in the garage of a Douglas County home by one of their employers who turned over a car license on Feb. 8, 2022, prosecutors said.
Both had been shot dead, according to prosecutors.
Surveillance cameras at the home showed a suspect “carrying several firearms and entering the garage,” where the pair were found dead, prosecutors said.
Mitchell’s boyfriend called detectives shortly after her death and told them she believed Mitchell’s brother, Devol, might be a suspect, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Devol’s driver’s license photo matched the suspect’s features on the surveillance footage.
‘Instrumental’ recording
A digital recording device was found during Mitchell’s autopsy, prosecutors said. The device captured “the events leading up to and including the murders”.
“While we may never know why Jessica decided to start recording, it was instrumental in helping us place the defendant at home with the two victims,” ​​Deputy District Attorney Andrew Steers said in the release.
Gray’s sister told The Denver Gazette that the recording captured the three eating dinner having “jovial” conversation. However, during the meal, Devol leaves the house to get a gun.
Although the recording does not provide a motive for the murders, it does make one thing “clear”, according to Steers.
“Two of the three people who were eating that night were killed and the only person who can answer ‘why’ is Mr. Devol,” Steers said.
Devol, who was arrested at a Kansas hotel on Feb. 9, 2022, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and animal cruelty on July 19, prosecutors said.
Douglas County is about 40 miles south of Denver.
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