Hardeeville man accused of lying, destroying evidence tied to Fort Stewart homicide
A Hardeeville man has been indicted in federal court on charges of helping to destroy evidence and lying in the investigation of a murdered Fort Stewart soldier’s wife, according to a Friday U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Devin Ryan, 30, faces charges of obstruction of justice, use of fire in commission of a federal felony, and false declarations before a grant jury. Convictions on those charges carry a penalty of up to 75 years in federal prison without parole.
In July 2018, 24-year-old Abree Boykin was living in post housing at Fort Stewart Army Reservation in Georgia while her husband was deployed in South Korea. After not hearing from Boykin, her husband asked military police conduct a welfare check at the residence, and they later found her there shot to death, the release said.
Last month, 28-year-old Stafon Jamar Davis, of Savannah, pleaded guilty to premeditated murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Boykin’s death.
After the shooting, Davis left Boykin’s car and contacted Ryan for help in “getting rid” of it.
The two men, who had met in prison and were both on federally supervised release at the time of the murder, went to a location in Hardeeville and Ryan, the release said, corruptly obstructed, influenced, and impeded investigations by “burning, altering, mutilating and destroying a 2018 Honda Accord,” and later “provided materially false testimony.”
“The investigation ... was lengthy, detailed and complex,” U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine said in the release. “It was made even more difficult because of active, illegal efforts to impede the investigators working non-stop to find her killer.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Army Criminal Investigation Command, and prosecuted by the U.S. attorney’s office.
