Man arrested in connection to Burleson shooting sentenced to 40 years in prison for dealing drugs
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) – A man who was arrested in connection to a shooting in Burleson last summer has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for dealing methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas says.
David Devaney Sr., 59, was sentenced on April 6 after he and his son, David Devaney Jr., 36, were found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance in November 2022.
The investigation into Devaney Sr. began in June 2022 when a cooperating defendant identified him as a methamphetamine distributor, court documents say. Later that month, law enforcement received a call about a 64-year-old woman who was shot and killed in Burleson.
Surveillance video showed Devaney Sr.'s vehicle was involved in the incident, which was thought to be a drug deal gone bad. The woman was an innocent bystander who died at the scene.
Officers tracked the vehicle to a hotel parking lot, where they frisked the driver, Cory Litts, 36. They found a plastic bag containing 115 grams of methamphetamine and a digital scale concealed inside his clothing.
Devaney Sr. was sitting in the passenger side of the vehicle. Officers say they saw him throw a shaving kit bag into a nearby bush. Inside the bag was more than a kilogram of methamphetamine and cash.
When Devaney Sr. was frisked, police found a pistol tucked into his waistband. Both men were then arrested.
That same evening, Devaney Jr. was also arrested in connection with the shooting.
Devaney Jr. will be sentenced on May 4. Litts pleaded guilty to the same charge in October 2022 and was sentenced in April to more than 22 years in prison.
In an interview with law enforcement, Devaney Jr. denied involvement with the shooting, but admitted, "obviously, there's been drugs." He said his father, a 10-time convicted felon, "just went off the deep end… and he started selling drugs," and claimed his father "just kept sucking me in."
Capital murder charges have been filed against Devaney Sr., Devaney Jr. and several other individuals for their alleged roles in the Burleson shooting.
"The dangerous culture created by drug trafficking impacts all of us, creating a terminal plague that ruins the livelihood of our communities," said Lester R. Hayes Jr., special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in Dallas. "As long as this illicit activity exists, we are all susceptible to the violence and societal ills of the drug trade."
