Murder of Dale Harrell

On January 14, 2009, DeVault entered the master bedroom she and Harrell shared at their home in Gilbert, Arizona. She then struck Harrell several times in the head while he was sleeping. Harrell received multiple skull fractures and was taken to the hospital. DeVault was arrested the same night on charges of aggravated assault and was held at a local jail, but was later released on bail. Officers noted that DeVault had reddened marks upon her neck and that they had found a hammer covered with blood at the crime scene. On February 9, 2009, Harrell died of his wounds and a grand jury indicted DeVault for first-degree murder. Both DeVault and Cook initially told police that Cook had killed Harrell. Police found no evidence linking Cook to the crime; indeed, forensic evidence ruled out Cook had been the assailant. After Harrell was cremated at a Mesa mortuary, DeVault refused to give the remains to his parents, who then filed a civil suit against her for Harrell's remains and punitive damages. She also reported that Harrell had frequently sent her to the hospital and that he had once, in front of several witnesses, shoved her and dislocated her shoulder, which one of the witnesses helped pop back into place. Flores later agreed to testify on the Harrell murder in exchange for full immunity over the pornography charges. ==Trial==

DeVault was initially set to go to trial in 2011, but the trial was postponed. The prosecutors in the case sought the death penalty. In their opening statements, the defense and prosecutors posed different reasons as to DeVault's motivations for beating Harrell with a hammer. Prosecutors alleged that DeVault killed Harrell with the intention of collecting a total of from two life insurance policies so she could repay Allen Flores the she had borrowed from him, while DeVault's defense attorneys claimed that DeVault acted in self-defense. The defense also stated that DeVault had experienced abuse as a child and that her mother had physically abused her, while her stepfather had sexually abused her. The prosecution also pointed out that DeVault had initially claimed that an unknown assailant had broken into the home and assaulted Harrell, before confessing that she was the perpetrator. On April 8, 2014, DeVault was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder for the death of Harrell. The jury found that excessive cruelty had been used, which made DeVault eligible for the death penalty. In a statement to the court, DeVault apologized for the murder, saying that she was "sorry, not only for my actions but for everyone I hurt". She also addressed Harrell's parents, stating, "My heart goes out to them...his mother and father have had to experience the worst loss in the world – the loss of a child. I know there is nothing I can say that will ever ease their pain." The jury sentenced DeVault to life in prison instead of the death penalty, and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery stated that "imposing the death penalty in any circumstance is difficult, and in this one, the jurors felt that a life sentence was appropriate". On June 6, 2014, the judge sentenced DeVault to life in prison without the possibility of parole. ==References==