A 40-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to murder charges for a crime that he allegedly committed over 12 years ago.
Devarus Hampton, 40, has pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, a crime he allegedly committed on February 27, 2011, killing in the village of Hyannis. Hampton is accused of killing Lampley. On the night of the murder, an affidavit from the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office states that Investigators discovered bullet casings and a sweet potato on the surface outside the bedroom window where he was shot.
"Investigators believe that this potato was used as a silencing device to muffle the sound of gunshots," Lt. Matthew Lavoie with the Massachusetts State Police wrote in the affidavit.
According to phone records revied by investigators, the accused exchanged more than a dozen texts and phone calls with a guy in residence with Lampley at the time of the killing, including a few minutes before and after the shooting.
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According to the affidavit, Hampton was also wearing a GPS tracking bracelet at the time of the murder as part of his supervised release in another case. the bracelet's location records show that Hampton was near the house at the time of the shooting. Hampton was arrested in an unrelated case but refused to talk to investigators regarding the Lampley case.
According to the affidavit, authorities obtained a DNA sample from Hampton without his knowledge in 2016 by collecting some of his phlegm that he spit into a puddle. According to the affidavit, the DNA samples from a swab of sweet potato and Hampton's spit matched with a very high probability.
Hampton is detained without bail and is due back in court on April 5 for a probable cause hearing.
