In the quiet, early morning hours of June 24, 2013, the life of 24-year-old Devon Wade Coates was tragically cut short in his Yorktown, Virginia, apartment. A former Gloucester resident and a graduate of Gloucester High School, he was at home in the Yorktown Square apartments with his wife and a friend, engaged in a video game, when an unexpected sound at their screen door prompted him to investigate.
Shortly after going downstairs, his wife and friend heard him cry out for help.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the friend witnessed a struggle unfolding in the doorway between Coates and a man wearing a bullet-proof vest. In the midst of the scuffle, a gunshot rang out, and Coates collapsed to the floor, having been shot just below the heart. The assailants, believed to be two men, fled the scene, leaving Coates fatally wounded. He was pronounced dead at his residence.
The investigation into the homicide quickly led the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office to a suspect. William E. Burks, a 28-year-old from Yorktown, was arrested in connection with the shooting. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and wearing body armor during the commission of a crime. Investigators learned that Burks had been asking where he could commit a robbery earlier that evening. After the shooting, he reportedly told someone he had 'just shot the white boy'.
During the investigation, a bullet-proof vest was discovered near the apartment complex, lying on top of a. 380 handgun wrapped in a red rag. Forensic analysis confirmed it was the weapon used to kill Coates, and Burks' DNA was found on the red rag. Despite witness testimony possibly indicating a second person was involved, Burks was the only individual arrested in connection to the murder.
William E. Burks initially pleaded not guilty, setting the stage for a jury trial. However, he later pleaded guilty to the murder. His defense attorney argued that the gun had gone off accidentally during a struggle that was intended to be a robbery. In May 2016, Burks, who had been out of prison for less than three months before the killing, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of Devon Coates. Before his sentencing, Burks offered an apology to the victim's family.
