Stafon Davis shot 24-year-old Abree Boykin, a resident of post housing Fort Stewart, in July 2018. Davis left the military installation in Boykin’s vehicle. After the shooting, Davis contacted Ryan to assist him in “helping get rid of a car.” Both individuals had previously met in prison.
Ryan and Davis doused the interior of Boykin’s vehicle with gasoline before setting it aflame. After the vehicle exploded, it was taken to a salvage yard and scrapped. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, both Ryan and Davis were on federally supervised release at the time.
“Destroying crucial evidence from such a horrific crime is unconscionable,” said spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey.
Boykin’s husband, Sergeant Shawn Boykin, was deployed to South Korea at the time of the murder. After being unable to reach Abree Boykin, Shawn Boykin asked for a welfare check. Military police discovered Abree Boykin’s body inside the housing unit.
Ryan and Davis were arrested in 2019, a year after the death of Abree Boykin. Davis admitted that he had known Abree Boykin since childhood.
Davis pleaded guilty to premeditated murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in September. Ryan pleaded guilty on Thursday to the use of fire in commission of a federal felony, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years with no possibility of parole. In a statement sent to Newsweek on Friday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Georgia said Davis faces “a possible sentence of up to life in prison.”
“A man with no involvement other than previous time behind bars with an admitted killer needlessly complicated a murder investigation by destroying a significant piece of evidence,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Bobby L. Christine. “Rather than stay a free man and hang up the phone when called, Devin Ryan helped cover up a murder—and that choice has earned him more hard time behind bars.”
Violence against soldiers stationed at U.S. military bases has drawn the attention of Army officials. In April, Specialist Vanessa Guillen was discovered bludgeoned to death near Fort Hood. Guillen had been reported missing for approximately two months before her remains were discovered. Her accused murder killed himself as authorities attempted to arrest him in July.
Guillen’s family alleged that she had been the victim of sexual harassment before her death. Independent investigators claimed that leadership at Fort Hood had created problems at the base, including instances of sexual assault and harassment.
On Tuesday, U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy announced that 14 officers would be suspended or fired for contributing to a perceived toxic culture at Fort Hood.
“The initial investigation into Vanessa’s death, coupled with high numbers of crimes and deaths at Fort Hood, has revealed a series of missteps and multiple failures in our system and within our leadership,” McCarthy said.
Updated 12/11/2020 10:56 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with additional information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
