The fate of a 35-year-old Davenport man remains in the hands of a jury, who will continue deliberations Thursday in Scott County Court.
Devon Braet faces 14 charges, according to Scott County Court documents.:
- Two charges of first-degree murder
- Two charges of first-degree robbery
- Two charges of assault while participating in a felony – serious injury
- Two charges of going armed with intent
- Two charges of use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime
- Two charges of abuse of a corpse – mutilate/dismember to hide a crime
- Second-degree arson
- Possession of a controlled substance – third or subsequent offense
Opening statements began June 18 in the double homicide-case of Braet in connection with the deaths of Brian Goodwin and Amy Smith on Jan. 16, 2024. On Wednesday, the case went to the jury, who will continue deliberations Thursday.
A fire and two suspicious deaths
Shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, Davenport Police and Fire responded to the 5200 block of North Division Street for a report of a structure fire. Davenport Fire crews arrived to find moderate smoke showing from an apartment and quickly extinguished the fire, according to arrest affidavits and Davenport Police.
During a search of the apartment, firefighters found Goodwin and Smith deceased.
Davenport Police say Braet and Adriana Blake (Prieto) placed a combustible material inside of the residence where the deceased victims were located, according to police and affidavits. Officers say the two knowingly acted together “to mutilate the bodies of the victims by the use of fire in an attempt to conceal the crime of murder.”
On Jan. 18, 2024, Braet and Blake (Prieto) were taken into custody on outstanding warrants.
Goodwin and Smith both had been shot, according to earlier testimony from Davenport Police Detective Brandon Askew. He said the shooting took place between 4:30 and 7 a.m. Jan. 15. Askew said two guns were recovered.
A Scott County jury on May 30 found Adriana Blake guilty on two charges each of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, assault while committing a felony – serious injury and use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime. She was found not guilty of one count of going armed with intent.
Blake is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 28 in Scott County Court, according to Scott County Court documents.
A third defendant sentenced
Earlier, Melisa Weber – accused of aiding and abetting in the double-homicide case – was sentenced after she entered a plea in the case.
Court records show Weber entered a guilty plea on a charge of accessory after the fact to murder and robbery, an aggravated misdemeanor. A charge of felony second-degree arson and two charges of felony abuse of a corpse were dismissed in the plea agreement.
Weber was sentenced Jan. 10 to two years in prison, a sentence that was suspended. She was placed on two years of supervised probation.