David Devaney Sr, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Texas 2023

FORT WORTH — A 64-year-old woman who was shot and killed in a drug deal gone bad in Burleson, Texas, in June 2022 has finally brought justice for her family.

David Devaney, Sr., 59, a Fort Worth father who conspired with his son, David Devaney, Jr., 36, to deal methamphetamine, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison Thursday, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

The elder Mr. Devaney was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman in November 2022. His son, David Devaney, Jr., is slated to be sentenced on May 4.

The investigation into the elder Mr. Devaney began in June 2022, when a cooperating defendant identified the elder Mr. Devaney as a methamphetamine distributor. Later that month, law enforcement received a 911 call about the shooting, which was thought to be a drug deal gone bad.

Officers tracked the vehicle to a hotel parking lot, where they frisked the driver, Cory Litts, 36, and found a plastic baggy containing 115 grams of methamphetamine and a digital scale concealed inside his clothing.

Officers then approached Mr. Devaney, Sr., who was sitting on the passenger’s side of the vehicle, and observed him throw a shaving kit bag into a nearby bush. Inside the bag, officers found more than a kilogram of methamphetamine and a substantial amount of U.S. currency. They frisked Mr. Devaney, a ten-time convicted felon, and found a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol tucked into his waistband.

Both men were arrested and transported to the Burleson police department. That same evening, Mr. Devaney, Jr., was also arrested in connection with the shooting in Burleson.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Stop The Offender Program (STOP), the Burleson Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn Smith and Laura Montes prosecuted the federal case.

The state has filed capital murder charges against both Devaneys and several other individuals for their alleged roles in the Burleson shooting. Although they have been convicted of the federal drug charges, they are presumed innocent of the state capital murder charges until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS

Drug Trafficking

Orlando Rodriguez, Methamphetamine Distribution, Indiana 2021

Jan 18, 2023

Drug Trafficking

Gregory Gibson, Heroin Distribution, Louisiana 2013

Oct 20, 2016

Drug Trafficking

Samantha Blume, Aiding Methamphetamine Distribution, Pennsylvania 2019

Jun 24, 2021

Drug Trafficking

Frank Peter Salamone, Ritalin Smuggling, Alabama 2017

Jul 10, 2017