Police detectives have cracked a cold case murder with an unlikely clue: a sweet potato. The perpetrator’s blood was found on the potato, leading authorities to discover Devarus Hampton’s DNA on it.
As a result, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a 31-year-old man who was found dead at his home in Hyannis.
Barnstable police had been investigating the murder for some time and the breakthrough came when DNA testing identified Hampton as the perpetrator.
It was revealed that he was charged with murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Investigators also discovered a phone linked to the name of Marlo Stanfield, a fictional character from the show “The Wire.”
During the murder, Hampton was wearing a GPS monitor due to a previous crime, and the GPS tracking placed him at home at the time of the crime. Three bullet casings and a black cell phone were also found at the scene.
The victim, Lampley, was tragically killed when Hampton shot him through his bedroom window. Despite pleading not guilty, Hampton was held without bail and convicted of the crime.
The sweet potato, which had been used as a silencer on the show, played a vital role in solving the case and bringing justice to the victim’s family.
Authorities have arrested Devarus Hampton for the 2011 murder of Todd Lampley after twelve years of investigation.
While investigating the crime scene, police found a sweet potato with a hole, which was used to muffle the sound of the shot, and three shell casings. Prosecutors sent the potato for DNA analysis, and the results showed that the DNA matched Hampton’s.
Further investigation revealed that Hampton was wearing a GPS monitoring device, which enabled him to be at the crime scene at the time of the murder.
Interestingly, the case had several similarities to the hit HBO crime drama “The Wire.” Police found a phone with the name Marlo Stanfield on it, the name of a fictional character from the show who was the head of a ruthless drug ring.
In addition, the murder was committed by someone standing outside the victim’s bedroom window and shooting through the glass, similar to a murder that happened in season one of “The Wire.”
Hampton was charged with one count of murder and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. He pleaded not guilty and was held without bail.
He had a previous connection to Lampley, after testifying that Lampley was involved in another murder in the same neighborhood in 2007. Hampton will appear in court again on April 5.
