Hammer Killer Case
Rachel Vincenzo and Ashleigh Little
The Case
Marissa DeVault is allegedly accused of killing her husband in order to collect insurance money. However, she claims that it was an act of self defense due to physical and sexual abuse. Originally, she claimed that somebody else killed him but later confessed to the crime. She changed her story multiple times before her confession. She has been charged with murder in the first degree. They were able to convict her as the killer based on blood spatter evidence. They were able to prove the blood path and the cast off and medium velocity they were able to place her. During the trial, clinical psychologists diagnosed DeVault as a psychopath. Defense attorneys claim that the use of the hammer proves it was self defense. If it was an act of murder, she would have used the loaded gun inside the house instead of a hammer.
The Evidence
Blood Spatter Evidence- Based on the blood path, castoff, and the medium velocity, prosecutors were able to place her as the killer.
Testimonial- DeVaults boyfriend says that she told him that she planned to kill her husband, but the defense claims that he shouldn't be trusted based on his plea deal with the prosecutors on his unrelated child porn charges.
Testimonial- DeVault had told investigators her husband had physically and sexually abused her in the past, but her witnesses claim that her husband never abused her.
Circumstantial- In an interrogation video, she was seen laughing as she recounted the events of the murder. Its circumstantial because she could have been laughing at an unrelated source.
Physical- Doctors noted some redness around her neck.
Our Opinion
Marissa DeVault murdered her husband. We based our opinion on her story which had changed numerous times, the blood spatter evidence, her witnesses that didn't back her up and proved her husband as non abusive, and her diagnoses of a psychopath. Also, she wasn't injured in any way that would suggest physical or sexual abuse. DeVault murder her husband as an act of evil, not an act of self defense.