For nearly two decades, the murder of Albert C. Harris Sr. remained a solved but unsettled tragedy in the quiet community of Magnolia, Delaware. The man responsible was identified and convicted, yet a true sense of finality remained elusive. It wasn't until 19 years later, after the killer had built a new life and taken more victims hundreds of miles away, that the full, dark story of his violent path would come to a close.
Albert C. Harris Sr., a 51-year-old Male resident of the town, lived in a mobile home on Irish Hill Road. On Sunday, April 6, 2003, his life was brutally cut short when he was found bludgeoned to death inside his residence. The shocking violence of the act stunned the small Kent County community, where residents theorized the killer was likely someone familiar with Albert. They were right. The investigation soon focused on a man living on the same street: William Jeffrey Devonshire.
Devonshire was no stranger to law enforcement.
Born in Wilmington, Delaware, he had been committing crimes since the age of 14, amassing a lengthy rap sheet across multiple states that included assault, battery, and burglary. At the time of the murder, Devonshire was his neighbor. A few months after Albert’s death, while Devonshire was imprisoned on unrelated charges, investigators found the crucial piece of evidence they needed. DNA collected from his home provided a direct link to the murder scene, and he was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon.
In 2005, William Devonshire was tried and convicted of the first-degree murder of Albert Harris. However, for reasons that are not publicly documented, the conviction was later reduced to second-degree murder. Instead of a life sentence, Devonshire was given a prison term of just eight years. In 2013, he was released on parole and left Delaware behind, relocating to the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida. He settled in Sarasota, where for a time he drifted under the radar, though his criminal activities continued.
For the next several years, the story of Albert Harris’s murder seemed to be over. His killer had been caught and served time. But in early 2022, a new and terrifying chapter began. On February 25, the body of 48-year-old Kelliann Ripley was found near a boat ramp along the Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. She had been killed by blunt force trauma and strangulation. Less than three weeks later, on March 10, the body of 59-year-old Vicky Levitch was discovered nearby, killed in the same brutal manner. The city was on edge, fearing a serial killer was targeting homeless women.
The day after Levitch's body was found, Devonshire was arrested for trespassing and drug possession. As a convicted felon, he was required to submit a DNA sample. That sample matched DNA found at the scene of Kelliann Ripley's murder, and he was charged with her death. Police publicly named him a strong suspect in the murder of Vicky Levitch as well. The man who had killed his neighbor in Delaware nearly two decades earlier was now known as "The Tamiami Trail Killer."
Devonshire would never stand trial for his Florida crimes. On June 5, 2022, while being held in the Sarasota County Jail, he died from what authorities described as medical complications. He was 52 years old. Though the criminal cases against him were closed, investigators continued their work. In October 2022, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed that Devonshire's DNA was a definitive match to evidence found on both Kelliann Ripley and Vicky Levitch, posthumously proving his guilt. With his death, the long and painful story of Albert C. Harris Sr.'s murder finally reached its ultimate conclusion, forever linking his case to the victims of a serial killer who was brought to justice far too late.
