INDIANAPOLIS– A murder suspect is behind bars in Marion County accused of a deadly shooting three years ago on Indy’s northeast side.
Court records show a separate federal case led to the long delay in justice for the victim’s family.
The suspect, Devonte Davis, was being held at a federal detention center in Kentucky for years before he was returned to Marion County this week to face charges of murder and aggravated battery.
On the night of September 28th 2019, IMPD officers were called to a home on Downes drive and found 35-year-old Derrick Marks shot to death in his own kitchen.
Multiple witnesses, including the victim’s mother, were home at the time of the killing.
A second victim was also found shot and wounded in a garage but managed to survive.
According to this federal criminal complaint, a month after the shooting in October 2019 Devonte Davis was arrested following a traffic stop on keystone and charged federally with illegal possession of a firearm.
At the same time, police continued to investigate the murder and witnesses eventually helped identify Davis as the shooter.
That resulted in a murder charge and warrant being filed, but while Davis remained in federal custody, the murder case remained on hold.
The federal case came to an end this year when Davis was sentenced to 46 months for the gun charge. That finally allowed the accused killer to be returned to jail in Indianapolis this week, exactly three years to the day after the murder.
As for what motivated the shooting three years ago, the affidavit claims Davis denied taking part in the killing, but the victim’s brother claimed it was likely a drug related robbery because the victim was known to sell synthetic marijuana.
The suspect is due in court for an initial hearing on the murder charge on Friday. He’s being held without bond pending trial.