The Alta courthouse was packed wall-to-wall with press and the public on Sunday night. The trial, which began at 8PM ET, has been a matter of public interest for weeks now. Former State Representative Yuri Devlin was charged with first-degree murder after the fatal shooting of Joshua Evans. Shout News has published an explainer of the Evans case and the victim, which can be found here. 

Devlin was ultimately found guilty by judge William Buckley. He will be sentenced to 25 years, with a fine of $40,000. The case was prosecuted by Jessica Ashbrook, the state’s new acting State Attorney after the sudden resignation of Anthony Lankowski. Devlin and his defense entered a plea of ‘not guilty.’

Defense attorney Donald O’Hagen’s opening statement was a short and succinct list of the last names of Evans’ victims, quickly but clearly establishing the severity of Evans’ actions and the repeated nature of his crimes. As for the prosecution, Ashbrook relied on personal testimony from witnesses. The ballistics in the case were called into question, with the evidence not being available for the trial.

Regardless, Buckley delivered his guilty verdict in a relatively rapid court case that came in at approximately 20 minutes. We will update in the case that Devlin and his defense file for an appeal on the case.