True Crime with Kimbyr - PART 2 Murder In The Middle of The Night - The DeVore Family Triple Homicide | True Crime

Episode Date: December 14, 2025

The chilling story of the DeVore family continues on Part 2 of True Crime with Kimbyr. Secrets, betrayals, and shocking revelations come to light as we dig deeper into the investigation. Who had the darkest motives, and what twisted events led to the tragic triple homicide? With in-depth analysis and empathetic storytelling, True Crime with Kimbyr uncovers new evidence, examines suspect behaviors, and explores the lasting impact on the surviving family and community. Tune in to uncover the next layer of this harrowing case the truth is more haunting than anyone could imagine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sheriff Nash explained that until additional units arrived on the scene, the sheriff's office only had three or four deputies to patrol this entire bigger area of the apartment complex. And at this point, evidence was still being collected and processed. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th. The powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th. and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamava Theater.com.

Only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. U-N. must be 21 to enter. The shoes that had left the impressions on the floor were identified by Sled Agent Vicki Halman as Nike Air Force One sneakers. Detective Aspel had been right. Meanwhile, the 640 caliber shell casings had undergone thorough ballistics analysis and testing by sled, and there's something that I want to explain quickly here and give you some background. In very basic terms, when a firearm is discharged, the firing pin inside leaves a unique mark on the back of the bullet shell casing.

This means you can not only trace a shell casing to a particular make of a gun, but a specific weapon. Again, this is sort of like fingerprinting, but for guns, and no two guns will leave the same mark on the shell casing. They always have their own very minuscule internal imperfections. So it would be impossible for the killer or killers to blame it on any other weapon. For all intents and purposes, all three shots look to have come from identical gun. As the testing was being conducted on the markings on the shell casings of this triple murder, sled agent Tracy Throar found that not only had these all been fired from the same weapon, but the markings also matched shell casings from two separate shootings,

to other shootings. They were able to figure this out thanks to what's known as the integrated ballistics identification system, which is sort of like codis. You know how we look for DNA that's related to other crimes? This system matches shell casings with the same type of markings. The system acts like a screening tool that compares the images to other similar images to find similarities between unconnected cases, or I should say previously, unconnected cases. This means that those might end up being related to this triple murder. In Agent Throwers opinion, the likelihood that another firearm could have produced a type of markings on these shell casings in the three shootings was so rare, it would be practically

impossible. This was the first big break in this case. One of the other shootings where the same weapons seemed to have been used was committed at the anchor bar and grill in North Charleston on March 4th, just over four months before the divorce murders. In this previous case, six 40-caliber Smith & Wesson casings were found in a parking lot. The other crime with related casings occurred as a drive-by on March 20th at another apartment complex called Hunter Ridge Apartments on Hunter Ridge Lane in Georgetown. This is off Ashley Phosphate Road, and around 24 shell casings were found on the road following this shooting. Nobody was killed or injured in either of these other shootings, but they did remain unsolved.

Still, investigators knew if they could find the person or persons involved in either of those previous shootings, or at least there could be witnesses. This could potentially lead them to whoever killed Diane, Jatavius, and Deanna. Not only had no arrest been made in the anchor bar shooting, but there were no suspects. So Slead contacted North Charleston PD for the reports on those incidents. And on July 19th, the detective spoke to a bouncer who had been working at the anchor bar that night, and his name was Reginald, Chivers. According to Reginald, in the early morning hours of March 4th, a man had been kicked out of the bar, which was only 12 miles from the Archdale Forest complex where the DeVore family was eventually killed. Reginald said he saw the patron walk across the parking lot and get into a black pickup truck. The vehicle's front and back passenger window was rolled down.

As the pickup pulled away, the man inside picked up a semi-automatic handgun and fired a single shot from the backseat. Someone else sitting in the driver's seat then fired multiple shots using what seemed like a Tech-9 submachine gun. Reginald described the man in the backseat as being a shorter blackmail around 5-4 to 5,5 feet tall, about 25 years old with closely cropped hair. Police had already arrested someone for the shooting at the Hunter Ridge of a car. which was even closer to where Diane's apartment was, less than four miles away. His name was Xavier Walker, and he was currently out on bond. Several eyewitnesses who knew Xavier had identified him as one of the two shooters at the Hunter Ridge scene. And he was charged.

But when investigators went to speak to Xavier about Diane, Jotavius, Indiana's murders, he denied knowing anything about the slayings. He also denied being the shooter at Hunter's Ridge or the anchor bar. However, he said that he did have the name of the person who was with him on both of those occasions. But Xavier would only give law enforcement the information if he could have his own charges dropped. Once they struck a deal with him, he said on the night of March 4th, he'd been at the bar with his friend, 25-year-old Anthony Sanders. When Anthony was then kicked out of the bar around 4.30 in the morning, the men got into the pickup truck that Anthony had. barred from a friend, Anthony was in the driver's seat with Xavier beside him.

As they drove through the parking lot, Anthony shot at the bar outside of the window using a semi-automatic handgun. But didn't the eyewitness say that one guy was in the backseat shooting and what was up front? It seems the story's a little bit off, but they let him continue because it's all they had. Xavier then claimed that on March 20th, he'd been in a fight with someone who lived, at the Hunter Ridge apartment complex. He said later that day, the same guy that he was with the night at the bar, Anthony Sanders, had picked him up in a vehicle,

and they drove back to Hunter Ridge together. And there was a shootout. And Xavier claimed Anthony had fired several shots at someone who shot at them first. Of course, that would be the story. Xavier stated that Anthony had used the same weapon on both occasions. It was encouraging that detectives now had another person of interest,

but they had no way of knowing whether Anthony was really involved. And if so, to what extent? Was Xavier the killer? And was he just trying to make his friend the scapegoat? They didn't know. But as investigators look further into Anthony, they learned he was unemployed, and he was no stranger to breaking the law.

He already had a criminal record for a variety of offenses. In August 2002, Anthony was charged with possession with the intent to distribute drugs and possession with the intent to distribute drugs and possession with the intent to distribute drugs in the proximity of a school. In January the following year, he was charged with three counts of simple assault, but only convicted of one of those. Later that year, he's charged with a DUI and driving while his license was suspended.

And in May of 2004, he was charged with driving with a suspended license and possession of drugs. Anthony was born on July 1st in 1982, and he grew up in the Charleston area. He never knew his father, but he had a sister and sister. several brothers, including an identical twin named Tony. Based on Anthony's criminal record, Dorchester County decided that in order to get more information about whether or not he was involved in the divorce family murders, they were going to initiate a surveillance operation to see whether Anthony would incriminate himself or possibly lead police to the murder weapon while monitoring him. Anthony was arrested during a traffic stop on July 24th, and they were able

to take him in for illegally discharging a firearm in the Hunter Ridge shooting. Following his arrest, Anthony wouldn't say anything to detectives Garrison and Michael Giglio, which of course was his right, and he asked to speak to an attorney before saying anything further. The detectives had been careful not to mention anything to Anthony about the murders at this stage. As far as Anthony knew, they were only interested in the unsolved shootings from March, and they wanted to see what he would say. Someone who did talk to the investigators, though, was Anthony's girlfriend Medea Thompson. She had been driving the car when Anthony was arrested during that traffic stop. Medea told officers, the couple had been dating for about three and a half years.

While they didn't live together, Anthony often visited Medea where she lived and guess where that was. In Apartment 105D at the Archdale Forest apartment complex. The same exact complex where Deanna, Diana, Diane, and Dutavius lived and were found murdered. Is this a coincidence or something more? When asked if she knew anything that happened related to the triple murder, Medea said that on the night of the murders, Anthony came over to visit her, but he didn't stay the whole evening.

He left her place around 10 p.m. Police realized that upon Medea giving them her address, this wasn't just the same building where Dana's body had been found. Because Xavier didn't match the description that Reginald had previously given, because he had dreadlocks, not closely cropped short hair. At this same time, Detective Tim Morgan was analyzing Anthony and Xavier's cell phone records from July 6 through 12th. Xavier's phone was turned off from 10.30 p.m. on July 9th, the night before the shootings,

and 8.46 a.m. on July 10th. So all through the night, Xavier's phone not on. But Anthony's phone records showed multiple brief calls during the early morning hours of July 10th. With not much of a gap in between, he made a call at 205 a.m., then someone called him a minute later. The next outgoing call from Anthony's cell was at 2.24 a.m. to his girlfriend Medea. You might recall that he mentioned that 2.24 a.m. is the time that the first 911 call came in after the shootings. At 225 a.m., Anthony called a female friend of his, Shayla, who lived in a nearby Goose Creek

apartment building. They spoke for about 18 minutes. Anthony made another call at 3.24 a.m. to a m. to a teenage girl that he knew who were going to call Sasha. She lived out in Roanoke, Virginia, but she had lived in North Charleston back in 2006 a year before the murders. And at that time, she had only been 14 years old. And she was in a relationship with Anthony back then, who was 10 years older than her. And that's interesting, considering Deanna was also 14. Anthony had been charged with kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct with a minor in June of 2006 over his involvement with Sasha, but the charges were eventually dismissed. This, of course, piqued the detective's interest. When Detective Garrison went to Virginia to interview Sasha, she said she was actually surprised

to get a call from Anthony in the middle of the night. He didn't sound like himself. And during the conversation, he kept repeating that he needed to get out of South Carolina, calling himself a fuck-up. His words. Sasha said, this was very unlike the man that she knew. Anthony also told Sasha that he'd been kicked out of the anchor bar before a shooting had occurred. There were no phone numbers connected to the victims in the divorce family in either Anthony or Xavier's phone records. The closest cell tower to the apartment complex was a tower called number 6040 located on Trade Street. This was directly behind Festival Center Mall, which was less than a mile from Diane's apartment building.

Detective Morgan could see that outgoing calls from Anthony's cell from 138 a.m. to 226 a.m. pined off of Tower 6040. As more phone calls were made from his cell phone between 226 a.m. and 235 a.m., the phone PING off of a tower called 6139, which is located on Yolanda Drive. And then at 2.36 a.m., his phone pinged off both towers, 6139 and 6024 at Ashley River Road. These latter towers were ones in route from the apartment complex to the area where Anthony's mom lived in the Forest Hills neighborhood. Based on the cell and ballistics evidence in conjunction with Xavier naming Anthony as a possible suspect, a search warrant was executed on Anthony's apartment. He lived on Poperdam Creek Drive in North Charleston. All detectives knew for sure, so far,

was that he was linked to the murder weapon and the general area of Archdale Forest at the time of the murders. And not whether he was the one who actually pulled the trigger in the slayings. You'll remember I said that the gel lifts from the shoe impressions at the scene were Nike Air Force ones. Investigates recovered three pairs of Nike Air Force One sneakers from Anthony's bedroom, which he shared with his twin brother, Tony. Is it weird? Because I thought it to be odd that the twins were named Anthony and Tony, because it's basically the same name. It's just a thought that crossed my mind.

The men slept in single beds, one on each side of the room, and in between there were stacks of about 10 shoe boxes lined up against the wall. The sneakers ranged in sizes from nine to the room. from 9 to 11, which I found to be interesting. Didn't know if it was common for men to wear varying-sized shoes. Just a question, not really that important here. But also inside this bedroom, law enforcement found a black Converse shoebox containing ammunition for a 32 caliber Derringer, as well as three federal brand 40 caliber Smith & Wesson bullets,

the same caliber and make as the shell casings from the Anchor Bar, and the Hunter Ridge shootings, and the triple homicide. Kind of interesting. Then under Anthony's bed was that 32 caliber Derringer itself. And a 40 caliber Smith and Wessing shell casing manufactured by a company called RP. Investigators also found a safe next to Anthony's bed. And inside were the usual things you would expect to find,

photographs, letters. But there was also an arrest warrant and a newspaper clipping from July 12th, which included the story about the brutal divorce family triple murder. Okay? That's super suspicious. And there were also letters from Sasha, but there was no sign of an actual murder weapon. Detective Garrison then interviewed Anthony's twin brother Tony about Anthony's whereabouts on the night of the triple murder. Tony stated that Anthony had stayed with his girlfriend Medea. He came home briefly around 11 p.m. but he said he later left to go back over Medea's apartment.

Tony knew Anthony hadn't come home because Tony had been awake all night and he hadn't seen his brother. When police quizzed Anthony about where the 40 caliber handgun was, he denied ever owning any firearms. And that's when Detective Garrison hit Anthony with the news that if he didn't tell them where the weapon was, he would be charged with three counts of murder. They know he's lying because they found ammunition and a firearm

at his house. Again, Anthony shut down. He refused to answer any of their questions without speaking to his attorney. We actually don't see this that often, and I would expect this because it's a right to remain silent, but many people don't use that right.

By now, the DNA from the semen samples from Deanna's clothing and her body had been run through CODIS, the National DNA Database, to see if there were any matches to any known offenders and there wasn't. but DNA from cement taken from DNS pajama pants revealed a mixed profile from two individuals

and investigators hoped that they would soon be able to get a DNA sample from Anthony. What was so atypical about this whole investigation was that instead of a particular suspect being identified first and then cross-checking the forensic evidence, it was the forensic evidence of the gun casings themselves that had led them to Anthony. It's a little bit backwards. On August 2nd, Anthony was charged with the murders of Diane,

Gattavius, and Deanna. But the murder weapon was still missing, and answers as to how Anthony even knew his victims and what his motive was remained unclear. In terms of an alibi, a police affidavit stated that Anthony claimed he was at home on the evening in question. Though he later stated he hadn't said this at all. But when Anthony was being escorted to court for his bond hearing,

He asked Detective Garrison out of the blue if he'd like to have the gun that was involved in the killings. Detective Garrison obviously said yes, to which Anthony cryptically replied, One day, I'll tell you what happened. Anthony's bond was denied, and he then remained in custody. Diane's surviving son, Marquise, was incredibly relieved to hear that someone had been charged and was off the streets. but now a different sort of waiting game began until Anthony would have his day in court. It was too early to tell whether a conviction was likely, and the investigation was still ongoing. The day after Anthony was charged on August 3rd, Detective Garrison interviewed a man named Richard Alexander.

Stay with me. Richard had come in to report that his Smith & Wesson semi-automatic 40-caliber handgun and some loose rounds in an ammunition can had been stolen. He told Detective Garrison that in January of 2007, prior to the March shootings, he'd purchase these items, which he kept in the seat of his black Chevy pickup truck. You remember anything now? Richard had first noticed his gun and ammo were gone from his pickup in the days following the murders. And he had what he described as a bad feeling.

But he didn't report them as stolen until now. He had no idea how long these items had actually been gone, but it was definitely before the murders. Richard told Detective Garrison that a friend of his, who happened to be named Anthony Sanders, who Richard knew had been charged with the crime, borrowed his pickup truck all the time. Anthony, turns out, was actually Richard's drug dealer, and they had an agreement that if Anthony wanted sometimes, He could give Richard drugs, and in return, Richard would allow him to do things like bring women to his apartment where he could have sex with them and one of his bedrooms, or he could borrow his truck in exchange for drugs. Now, officers didn't seize a can of ammunition in the original search of Anthony's apartment, and they couldn't even recall seeing one. But when they looked back at photographs that they took in Anthony's bedroom, they saw a can matching the description of the way.

one that Richard said had been stolen. So a second search warrant was executed and they seized this can. Now, Richard couldn't say if it was the exact same one that he was missing, but it definitely looked like it. Richard also told Detective Garrison that following the triple murder, Anthony had actually asked him if he knew anything about DNA. Richard told Anthony that police can get DNA from saliva, blood, or semen. To which Anthony then asked him whether it would matter

if a condom had been used. And then the conversation ended. And then Richard was left wondering whether Anthony might have committed some kind of like sex offense. And if that's not telling, I don't know what is. Meanwhile, detectives went back to the Archdale Forest Apartments with a picture of Anthony to see if any of Diane's neighbors would recognize him. And not only did some of the neighbors recognize Anthony, but they told officers that they'd seen him prior to the murders. talking to Deanna while she was hanging out with her friends in the area. Yikes. It seems like this is

all starting to come together. On August 30th, Anthony was indicted by a Georgetown County grand jury for three counts of murder. The charges against his friend Xavier over the Hunter Ridge shooting were dropped in exchange for Xavier's cooperation. Of course, Anthony pleaded not guilty. And he was actually facing the death penalty if he got convicted. From what investigators could tell, from his upbringing, Anthony did come from a really tough background. And while he had family around him, including his mother, Patty, and his sister, his older brothers were said to be a bad influence. Anthony had been close to his mother, but she sadly passed away suddenly the year before from complications following childbirth. And that, of course, scares the heck out of me because I am

pregnant right now. And I know that it is a real risk, and it's very sad. But despite these struggles, Anthony was said to be doing the best he could on his own with his young son. And it seemed like he truly wanted to maintain a healthy relationship with him and be a present father. It was his mother's passing that made Anthony realize he needed to step it up and be an active part of his son's life. But it wasn't long before Anthony began abusing drugs and alcohol. In addition to drinking heavily, Anthony was involved in experimenting with psychotropic drugs, including ecstasy and dealing crack. In the meantime, Anthony's DNA had been collected and it had been tested against what was found on Deanna's body and her pajama pants, as well as the front

door knob of the apartment, and Sled agent Katie Coy identified a partial DNA profile obtained from the semen of Deanna's oral swabs that matched Anthony. The match was around 1 and 260. This meant that there were only a 1 and 260 chance that the The DNA belonged to Anthony, so this wasn't as encouraging as investigators might have hoped for. Because in many criminal cases, DNA results are usually much more significant. At the time, SLED didn't conduct DNA testing for male profiles using this test called a YSTR test, which identifies the Y chromosome. So the sample was sent to be run by another lab, a private lab. However, he was excluded as a contributor for the semen that was detected on Dianna's pajama pants.

as well as the DNA found on the apartment doorknob. And that makes things confusing. But I think it's safe to say that he had an encounter with Deanna, and it doesn't appear to have been consensual. And then she ended up dead from a weapon he was in possession of. On July 16, 2008, First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe announced that the state would be pursuing the death penalty. By now, the solicitor's office had established that aggravating circumstances

justified this sentence. In Anthony's case, he'd killed more than one person and had committed these murders in conjunction with a burglary and criminal sexual conduct. The latter offense was well established by the presence of Anthony's DNA on the oral swabs. The public still didn't know what happened to Deanna beyond David Pascoe just saying that it was, quote,

absolutely horrendous, end quote. Still, there was no mention of a motive. The announcement about the death penalty gave Diane, Jatavius, and Deanna's loved ones a pause. A cousin of the family, Shantel Miller, who had always been opposed to the death penalty now said, it hit so close to home and was so personal that she's had a lot to process.

And she said if he's found guilty, she wouldn't be against a death penalty. And yes, people do change their minds when something happens to them or someone they love. It makes you look at things differently. By now, the first anniversary of the murders had come and gone. Chantelle and another cousin, Nadine Ballard, visited the graves of Diane Gattavius and Deanna

to plant a rosebush and tie three balloons to Deanna's grave in honor for 16th birthday, which she would have celebrated that month. Pre-trial hearings didn't even get underway until over a year later in November 2009. The prosecution now offered to forego the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea, which would carry the reduced sentence of life in prison without parole. Anthony initially seemed to think this was going to be something he was going to go along with,

but at the last minute, the man changed his mind. At a subsequent hearing, a status conference had significant implications on how Anthony's trial would unfold. The state was now offering not to pursue the death penalty in exchange for Anthony waiving his rights to a jury trial. If a judge found Anthony guilty, he was instead looking at 30 years to life in prison for each indictment. Sometimes I do get mad when these kind of deals are offered. But this course of action was initiated in consultation with Diane, Jotavius, and Deanna's family. They knew that even if Anthony were found guilty, the appeal process would be so long, and it just wasn't something that they thought they could handle.

It could go on for decades, so fair enough. Even though this might sound like a get out of jail free card in terms of avoiding the death penalty, a bench trial isn't without risks. Instead of a jury, an accused person may encounter a judge who is known for a high rate of convictions or harsh sentences. And unlike when you have a jury trial, the judge is privy to every single piece of evidence. You know how sometimes in cases we get frustrated because certain things are held back from the jury and we're like, I wish they would have known that. Well, the judge would. And as far as Anthony's attorneys were concerned, they felt a bench trial was in his best interest. A lot of times, it's really hard to find

potential jurors who are opposed to the death penalty. Anthony's attorneys also thought a bench trial would be better for their client, given the weakness in their opinion, of the DNA evidence. They felt like a judge would be able to assess this aspect of the case better than a jury would. So Anthony's attorneys signed what they call a waiver, and Anthony was questioned by the judge during a very lengthy hearing. He was asked things like whether he understood this waiver. He said he did. He was willing to sign it to avoid the death penalty. So it was approved. So now 28-year-old Anthony's trial got underway on March 8, 2010, so many years later, at the Georgetown County Courthouse in St. George. And he stood before Circuit Judge R. Markley Dennis Jr. The prosecution's case was presented, and it was that in the early morning hours of July 9, 2007, Anthony, who was armed with a handgun, gained access to the Dvor family's apartment with the sole intent of forcing Deanna to engage in a sex act.

They believe she was forced to take off her pajamas and her underwear at gunpoint and proceeded to give him real sex. But at some point, before intercourse could begin, Diane and Detavius either arrived home or were already in the apartment and were awoken. Anthony was most likely caught off guard, and to eliminate any threat to him, he shot Detavius in the face. And then as Diane ran for the door, Anthony shot her in the back of the head. It is just disgusting to think about. Deanna, having just witnessed her mother and her brother being murdered, she ran from the apartment barefoot, clutching her pajamas pants and her underwear. And as she fled, Anthony chased her down. And it just so happened, he caught up to her right in the back of his own girlfriend's apartment, where he then shot

the teen dead. After Deanna fell to the ground, Anthony shot her three more times before fleeing the area, calling his girlfriend Medea as he drove away. I cannot even begin to imagine how absolutely terrifying this must have been for Deanna as she was running for her life. Not only had she just been violated, but she witnessed the murder of her mother and brother. She was desperately trying to get away. The sheer terror that she must have experienced is unimaginable. And it's unthinkable to me that a man would kill a young girl over pleasure, but it's so common, as most of you know.

It's just disgusting. And it doesn't even matter than Anthony had a girlfriend that he could have easily had sexual relations with. That's not the point. want what they can't have. They enjoy the chase, enforcing women into these unspeakable things all in the name of control and getting off. It's beyond me how their brains work. The state was open about the fact that there were no eyewitnesses or any solid evidence that Anthony had previously known Diane, Jotavius, or Diana. The prosecution case against Anthony was purely circumstantial, But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Circumstantial evidence can be both powerful and compelling. The evidence in its totality was what pointed to Anthony's guilt. One of the most incriminating pieces of evidence was the 18-minute period when no calls were made or received on his cell phone just before the murders. With the prosecutor saying that it cannot be explained away as a coincidence, that there's no phone activity while all these other actions are going on. Anthony's sneakers wear the same size and type as a shoe impressions, and the bullets found in his home matched in caliber and brand with the shell casings found at the scene.

But the most condemning piece of evidence of all was what was in Anthony's safe. If he wasn't guilty, there was no explanation for him to have saved a newspaper article about the triple homicide. It was a memento. The other items in the safe, such as photographs and letters, were also little mementos of his previous crimes. Anthony also had ample opportunity to steal the gun from his friend Richard, whose pickup truck he regularly borrowed. And the shell casing seen his bedroom matched the ones found at the anchor bar shooting, which Anthony had been connected to. I mean, it all adds up in my mind. One of the pieces of evidence on the side of the defense, though, was that none of Anthony's sneakers could be definitively matched to the

shoe impression found at the scene. While the sneakers were the same size and type as the one that left the impressions, sled agent Vicki Holman found the gel lifts were consistent with all Nike Air Force One sneakers of that type and size. Basically what she testified was that Air Force One's or sneakers with similar tread design accounted for about 95% of her cases. It was a very popular shoe type. So the defense said it wasn't conclusive as to whether Anthony's shoes were the ones that left the those impressions. The defense also said that the fact that the DNA from Deanna's oral swabs wasn't a high statistical match was another aspect of reasonable doubt. The fact that investigators didn't appear to pursue Xavier as aggressively as they did Anthony was also raised. But Xavier had been subsequently charged and denied Bonn in another murder that occurred after Anthony was arrested.

So that being said, the defense claimed that this was inadequate investigation. and Anthony chose not to testify in his defense. On March 9th, Judge Dennis found Anthony guilty of all three counts of murder. And before he was sentenced, Diane's cousin, Carolina Anderson, addressed the court. She gave a moving statement as to the anguish and pain the murders left in their wake, saying,

quote, I'd like to speak on behalf of the Grant family and the divorce. This was a family that never bothered anyone. I knew Diane. We worked together for the past nine and a half years of her life, and I really got to know her. She made sure she got the job done regardless. The boss could tell her things,

and there was nothing that she would say. She would walk away. She wouldn't harm a fly. She was always a sweet, kind, loving person, very quiet. She loved to laugh, and she loved to eat and have a good time with her family. Deanna helped me with being able to read and go on with school. Deanna was a sweetheart.

I don't understand why the kids. these things happen, and I know that God's will has to be done. I assume that this was God's way of saying, come on home, but the way that it was done, we may never know what or why. All we can do is ask that you bring justice. I didn't just lose a first cousin and a coworker. I lost a good friend. This is a tight-knit family. Diane was so happy go lucky. For the first time in her life, She was going to meet her brother, whom she had never seen before. I thank God he spared his children. That Marquise wasn't around.

No matter what you say here today, it won't bring them back. But if some justice can be served on behalf of this, our family can get closure. We will really appreciate it. And you do what you have to do. But we appreciate what you do and ask for justice for our family, end quote. The prosecutor asked for Anthony to be sentenced to nothing less than the maximum of 30 years to life in prison without parole, emphasizing that Jatavius and Diane had both been shot at close range in the face and then the back of the head. Judge Dennis sentenced

Anthony to life without parole on all three counts. The tipping point requiring the maximum sentence according to the judge was Anthony chasing Deanna down. She had been hunted down like an animal after she fled the apartment. She ran into the night desperately hoping someone would come to her rescue. But before they could, she was murdered and left out in the open for hours without dignity. Anthony had nothing to say during the sentencing. As far as the prosecution, the defense, and the victim's families were concerned, there was still no definite answers as to how Anthony knew this family or what his motive was. But I think we can kind of but to put two and two together. Based on the available evidence, the prosecution and the investigators

believe that from Anthony seeing Deanna around the complex when he was there visiting his girlfriend, Medea, he had ran into Deanna and possibly even struck up a conversation in the weeks leading up to her death. She was very outgoing. We know that much. But Anthony had bad intentions. He decided he wanted her and nothing was going to stop him. The more he saw her around, the more his urge grew stronger and stronger. And finally, the night he was over at Medea, the urge was just too strong. And in the early morning hours of July 10th,

Anthony knocked on the front door of Diane's apartment. At that point, Diana Gattavius weren't home. And maybe he knew this by having watched the apartment in the weeks leading up to the murders. But Deanna was home. She was babysitting her niece and nephew, who were already safely tucked into their beds. So Deanna opened that front door.

and Anthony threatened her at gunpoint. He forced his way inside, and he subjected a terrified Deanna to her forced sexual act upstairs. And then her mother and brother arrived home. Anthony went back downstairs and first shot and killed Dutavius and then Diane. And we know Diana then fled downstairs half-naked

at the front door holding her pajama pants and underwear before Anthony chased her down and shot her behind Building 105. We know that Diana had not only tried to escape, But in leaving the house, she led Anthony outside away from her niece and nephew who were peacefully sleeping upstairs. In doing so, she saved their lives. We don't know what this man would have done. Anthony did attempt to appeal based on grounds of ineffective counsel, but this was dismissed. Almost eight months later, on January 6, 2011, Anthony filed for application for a post-conviction relief. This was also dismissed.

But this did not deter Anthony. He applied to the Supreme Court of South Carolina in June of 2015, and the court granted him an evidentiary hearing. In October of 2018, which wasn't that long ago, the court found that Anthony did in fact receive ineffective assistance of counsel. At this point, he said he would have never signed that waiver. He only signed it because his attorneys told him it wasn't enforced. I don't know why they would tell him that, but this is what he claimed.

Now, due to the impact of the pandemic at the time, it resulted in so many backlogs in the court system that this evidentiary hearing wasn't held until two years later in 2021. It was then more than another two years before the first Judicial Circuit Court granted Anthony a belated direct appeal. Despite finding the Anthony knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to a jury trial, however, his request for a new trial was denied, thankfully. I want to end with the aftermath. In March of this year, 2024, Anthony appealed his conviction. He claimed the evidence merely raised a suspicion that he was involved in the murders

and not that he committed them. And therefore, this is grounds for an acquittal and a new trial. At the time of me recording this, the South Carolina Court of Appeals is yet to issue a ruling. And of course, this gives me chills in a bad way. 41-year-old Anthony continues to reside at the Lee Correctional Institute in South Carolina, and I cannot imagine the ongoing pain and uncertainty and anguish that this is causing all of this family's loved ones. Instead of being able to move through their overwhelming

grief and process the loss day to day, they're now facing not just the possibility that Anthony may be acquitted and even ordered a new trial. But if he's again found guilty, he may receive the death penalty, a sentence that the Dvorin Grant families never wanted to begin with. And this will trigger years and years of further appeals. But this is our legal system, and I do respect it nonetheless. Diane, Jatavius, and Deanna's families understandably remain shattered till this day over the loss of three people who they loved very deeply.

Deanna's heroism in making that split-second decision to flee the apartment after being violated in the most intimate way possible saved the lives of her niece and nephew. This is a testament to the kind of selfless person she was and how far she would go to protect her family. Values which were instilled in her by her mother and her older brothers. Marquise and his wife, Sonia, know that Diane, Jatavius, and Deanna live on in how Diane's grand. grandchildren are being raised in a way that honors the closeness, warmth, and unconditional love that Marquise will never forget as being the heart and soul of his mother's home. Thank you so much for watching this video and being here for Diane, Tatavius, and Deanna's story. I will see you in my next one. Bye.