DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A man who pleaded guilty to killing his sister, her boyfriend and a family dog near Franktown last year was sentenced Monday to 97 years in prison.
A Douglas County District Court judge sentenced Casey Devol, 31, to 48 years each for the murders of Jessica Mitchell, 32, and her boyfriend Todd Gray, 34. The judge also sentenced him to one year in prison on a count of animal cruelty.
Mitchell and Gray were found dead in the garage of their home on Feb. 8, 2022.
"Both families have endured the unimaginable at the hand of our son, and we know this," Mitchell and Devol's mother, Kelly Devol, said at Monday's sentencing. "Our hearts are broken at the loss of our daughter and of our son."
A trial was expected to happen this week, until Devol took a plea deal. Gray's family said they had hoped to see the case go to trial to try to find some answers.
"The one thing that [no] trial does rob the community of, a little bit, is the full access to the facts of the case," Chief Deputy District Attorney Andrew Steers said.
Steers played a clip in court of surveillance video in which the defendant and victims are heard having a conversation before Devol is seen leaving and returning with a firearm and, with no warning, firing shots into a building, killing his sister and her boyfriend.
"I wish it could be part of his sentence that he tell us the truth, that he tell us why he was there, to tell us what happened, if somebody else is in involved," said Lonna Gray, Todd Gray's mother. "Not knowing the truth, not knowing why this happened is killing us."
Devol was arrested after the shooting at a hotel in Kansas on Feb. 9, 2022. He pleaded guilty on July 19 of this year.
Devol chose not to speak at Monday's sentencing and asked his family members not to speak on his behalf out of respect to the Gray family.
"Nothing that is said in here is more than Casey has put himself through," his attorney Ara Ohanian said. "He’s incredibly remorseful. He’s incredibly sad for what he has done. He has no explanation."
The victims' families said the two struggled with addiction yet loved their children deeply. Mitchell was described as a good mother, sweet, kind and funny. Gray was remembered as the man with the best laugh and best heart who knew how to make everything fun. While the two families mourned the couple, at Monday's sentencing they were divided when it came to Devol.
"The Casey we all know and love is not a bad person. He just made a bad decision," Susan Schneider said at the hearing as she spoke on behalf of Emily Rumbold, Casey Devol's cousin.
"This wasn’t a bad decision. Speeding is a bad decision. Maybe deciding to try drugs is a bad decision. This decision took people's lives," Todd Gray's sister, Lindsey Bingel, later said.
Judge Patricia Herron said Devol would likely be 82 or 83 years old when he gets his first opportunity for parole.
Devol's parents have custody of one of Mitchell's kids. They asked if Herron would allow the children to visit their uncle in prison. Herron denied that request but said she'd allow for them to continue to correspond with him electronically.
Kelly Devol stressed that she lost two children in this situation.
"We will never forget our daughter ever, but we have a living child here and we’re still going to claim him as our son," she said. "Both Jessica and Casey are worthy of our love."
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