Multiple vehicles stolen in Lone Tree, two juveniles arrested

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Due to a series of thefts in Lone Tree, police are urging residents to remember to remove valuables from their vehicles and to lock their vehicles, garages and homes.

Four vehicles were stolen in Lone Tree from July 19 through July 21, and police believe the same group of suspects is involved in each of these thefts, the city announced Friday.

“At this point, we believe that it’s the same group behind all of those thefts here in Lone Tree,” said Lone Tree Public Information O cer Nate Jones. “We do believe there may be more suspects out there. At this point, we’ve … arrested two, and both are juveniles.” e Lone Tree Police Department said in a July 21 news release that a group of suspects “targeted unlocked vehicles and garages, committing o enses ranging from vehicle theft to credit card fraud and other unlawful activities.” e following day, July 20, the “same suspects returned” and allegedly stole a 2017 Honda Accord, per the release.

Jones said he does not know how many people are believed to be in the group.

According to the news release, one of the key incidents was on July 19, when suspects allegedly stole a 2021 Toyota RAV4 from a residential garage in Lone Tree.

Jones said he did not have information on whether the Honda Accord was stolen from the same garage as the Toyota RAV4 or from another location.

“Later, they visited a local convenience store with both stolen vehicles and stole various items, primarily vape products,” the police department said in the release.

“ e next night, o cers spotted the vehicle in the area but managed to evade law enforcement at high speeds.” e police department said the Toyota RAV4 resurfaced in Lone Tree on July 21. It was found abandoned in Lone Tree after reportedly “being involved in a motor vehicle crash,” per the release. Further details on the crash were not included in the statement.

Jones said Lone Tree o cers tried to pursue the suspects but were not able to get to the vehicle.

According to the release, suspects stole two additional vehicles — a 2022 Mercedes Benz GLE and a 2020 BMW X5. e news release did not include speci c details about how these vehicles were stolen.

“ e stolen Mercedes Benz was located in Denver, thanks to the efforts of detectives from the Douglas County Regional IMPACT Team,” police said in the release. e IMPACT team is a regional team made up of detectives from Douglas County, Lone Tree, Castle Rock and Parker, according to the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce. e police department said in the news release that the owners of the stolen BMW tracked the vehicle using a phone and provided information to Lone Tree o cers.

“ is led to the safe apprehension of two male juvenile suspects by the Denver Police Department and Colorado State Patrol,” said the release, adding that no further identifying information about the suspects would be released at this time.

A loaded handgun was allegedly recovered from the vehicle.

“I don’t believe, at this time, we have recovered the Honda Accord,” Jones said.

Jones said the police depart- ment is asking residents to be more vigilant in locking up their front doors and the access points to their homes as well as making sure their vehicles are locked and secure. e Lone Tree Police Department said it will continue investigating these crimes with the assistance of other local law enforcement partners, adding that this group of suspects is allegedly linked to crimes across the metro Denver area.

“ e thing that we did note in that string (of crimes) was that people were able to access unlocked vehicles, grab garage door openers and access homes that way,” Jones said.

If residents have any information regarding these incidents, the Lone Tree Police Department asked that they contact Detective Cpl. Je Roepke at 720-509-1143 or via email at Je ery.Roepke@cityo onetree.com.

Casey Devol was arrested last year on charges of killing two people.

Casey Devol pleads guilty in Franktown double murder

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After initially pleading not guilty to killing his sister and her boyfriend in rural Douglas County, Casey Devol reversed course and pleaded guilty weeks before his trial was set to begin.

Devol had pleaded not guilty in September and was set to see trial starting Aug. 7, according to the state judicial branch website.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of second-degree murder on July 19, according to online court records.

As a result, his two charges of rstdegree murder were dismissed.

Devol also pleaded guilty to a charge related to cruelty to animals.

Authorities say Devol also killed a dog in the incident.

He’s set for a sentencing hearing Aug. 7.

A recording captured audio of the incident where Devol allegedly committed the murders, according to prosecutors.

“What we have are recorded statements of the murder itself which were made by one of the victims,” Andrew Steers, a chief deputy district attorney, has said.

e existence of the recorder was not known, Steers said, until the autopsy in the case that left Jessica Mitchell, 32, and Bryan Todd Gray, 34, dead in the Franktown area. ey were discovered in February 2022 in a garage adjacent to a house they lived in on Russellville Road. Mitchell was Devol’s sister.

Authorities don’t know why some- one chose to record the interaction, Steers said during a March 22 hearing in Douglas County District Court. e recording captured the events leading up to the killings: ree people appeared to be having a dinner and at one point talked about a birthday gift, Steers said. At some point, the man authorities say is Devol leaves and returns and kills the other two people and a dog. e report, released by the Douglas County Coroner’s O ce, shows both victims also had meth, alcohol and marijuana in their systems. In addition to the toxicology reports, notes were made in both autopsies that each had a history of methamphetamine use.

Mitchell was found with a “digital recorder device,” according to her autopsy report.

A coworker of Gray’s discovered him and Mitchell in the Russellville Road garage about 1:30 p.m. Feb. 8, 2022.

Devol was found and arrested at a hotel in Salina, Kansas, on Feb. 9, 2022. He complied when o cers attempted to place him in custody, according to testimony at the hearing.

Autopsy results show the victims had bruising and shallow injuries and had been shot by two di erent rearms.

Deputies discovered security footage for the home that showed someone entering the garage carrying “multiple handguns and a long gun.” After a tip from a friend of the family, investigators alleged that Devol is the person in the video.