In the early morning hours of December 30, 2017, the sound of gunfire shattered the quiet of a Vancouver, Washington neighborhood. Responding to a call, police discovered the body of 23-year-old Vincent R. Trevino on a sidewalk in the Image neighborhood, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. His death was quickly ruled a homicide, leaving his family, who described him as a funny and charismatic man, devastated and searching for answers.
Trevino, a Hispanic male, had recently moved back to the area from Georgia to be closer to his two young sons.
The investigation into Trevino's murder initially yielded few leads, with no immediate suspects identified. However, a grim backstory soon emerged. Investigators discovered that just hours before his death, Trevino was one of four suspects involved in the severe beating and robbery of a 63-year-old man. Trevino's body was found about two and a half miles from the scene of that crime. This connection provided a new avenue for the investigation, suggesting a possible retaliatory motive for his killing.
A break in the case came in March 2018 when an anonymous tip pointed detectives toward Devin D. Schultz-Morrison, then 23, as the shooter. Further investigation revealed that Schultz-Morrison owned a Toyota Camry matching the description of a vehicle seen speeding away from the crime scene. Surveillance footage showed a similar car dropping Trevino off shortly before the shooting. Cell phone records also placed Schultz-Morrison in the vicinity at the time of the murder.
The case against Schultz-Morrison solidified when, following a domestic disturbance call, police recovered a. 45-caliber handgun from his home. Ballistics testing confirmed it was the weapon used to kill Trevino, matching the shell casings found at the scene. Schultz-Morrison was arrested in July 2018 on suspicion of second-degree murder. According to court records, he had told his brother that Trevino had confessed to him about the earlier robbery and beating. In August 2021, Devin Schultz-Morrison, then 26, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the death of Vincent Trevino.
