In an Athens, Georgia hotel room, the life of 32-year-old Casey Devanna was tragically cut short. On a Sunday in August 2017, housekeeping staff at the Best Western on North Milledge Avenue made the grim discovery of her body. Investigators quickly determined that the young woman, a female, had been fatally shot.
The focus of the investigation soon turned to her husband of just one month, Alexander Thomas Devanna. An arrest warrant was issued for him as he had fled the scene. Authorities believed he was driving a red Hyundai Santa Fe and had possibly traveled to Florida, where he had contacts in several cities, including St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Daytona Beach. Their concerns proved accurate when Alexander was apprehended in Ocala, Florida, the following month.
During his trial, a dark narrative of premeditation and violence emerged. Prosecutors presented evidence that Alexander, who was reportedly a heavy drinker and heroin user, had contemplated murdering his wife for at least a week before the shooting. Disturbing text messages he sent to a friend revealed his chilling intentions, with one stating, “Going to shoot my wife and myself prob today,” and another, “I’m about to shoot her in the head and go get f***ed up one last time.” He had even sent a photograph of himself holding a gun to his own head. In his defense, Alexander claimed that his wife had become enraged after finding text messages from his former lover and that the gun went off during a struggle.
In June 2019, a Clarke County Superior Court jury found Alexander Thomas Devanna guilty of the murder of his wife. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 10 years. His attempts to appeal the conviction were ultimately unsuccessful, with the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously upholding the jury's decision in October 2021.
