SARASOTA, Fla. — A man who was convicted of killing 48-year-old Kelliann Ripley back in March has been scientifically connected to the murder of a second woman through DNA evidence, according to the Sarasota Police Department.
Police said DNA from 59-year-old Vicky Levitch was found on the clothing of William Devonshire, who died in jail on June 5.
Levitch's remains were found on the afternoon of March 10, 2022, near the shore of Whitaker Bayou — about a month after Ripley's remains were found less than a mile away near the Centennial Park boat ramp.
Devonshire, 52, was charged with Ripley's murder in March and was being held at the Sarasota County Jail. Police claimed he died after suffering a seizure in jail and hitting his head, resulting in a brain bleed.
Even before the DNA testing, detectives said they had enough evidence to also connect Devonshire to Levitch's murder, but because of Devonshire's death, the case was not prosecuted.
"We had indisputable evidence that linked Devonshire to both homicides that
occurred in February and March," Sarasota Police Captain Johnathan Todd said in a statement.
"Thanks to our partners at the FDLE, we expedited the DNA processing following the homicide in February, and we were able to arrest the suspect. Now, thanks to DNA evidence, we know Devonshire is responsible for both homicides," he added.
Detectives in June called the similarities between the two women's deaths "striking." They said both Ripley and Levitch died by strangulation and were "brutally beaten" before their deaths. The women were found dead not far from each other near homeless camps in Sarasota.
Police had said they were still working on determining if Devonshire knew the two women or if the women knew each other. They did say in June that both women were "homeless or quasi-homeless."