Paul Gilbert Devoe III

Paul Gilbert Devoe III was born on August 31, 1963, in New York. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and he was raised on Long Island by his mother and stepfather. Devoe dropped out of school after the ninth grade and began exhibiting signs of alcohol abuse and violent behavior during adolescence. He had a documented history of assault and domestic violence dating back to his early adulthood.

During his twenties, Devoe was involved in several violent incidents, including firing a shotgun at a group of teenagers and attempting to strangle his mother with a telephone cord. This led to his mother obtaining a protective order against him. Between 1980 and 2002, Devoe was in and out of prison in New York, accumulating convictions for driving under the influence, criminal trespassing, aggravated harassment, and petty theft.

Devoe fathered four children with multiple women, and all of these relationships ended due to his ongoing physical abuse, often fueled by alcohol. In 2005, he relocated to Texas and settled in Hill County, but his pattern of alcohol abuse and domestic violence continued.

Between August 24 and 25, 2007, Paul Devoe committed a six-person killing spree across Texas and Pennsylvania. The crimes began after his girlfriend, Glenda Purcell, filed a restraining order against him following a violent assault that left her seriously injured. Devoe was temporarily staying with a female acquaintance under the condition that he assist with construction work. When the woman discovered Devoe was in possession of a firearm, she asked him to leave. Enraged, Devoe stole a pickup truck from the property and left.

On the evening of August 24, 2007, Devoe entered a bar in Marble Falls, Texas, where Purcell was known to frequent. He confronted her with a firearm and attempted to shoot her, but the weapon jammed. Purcell escaped into another room seeking help. Michael Allred, a 41-year-old bartender, intervened and tried to de-escalate the situation. Devoe shot Allred in the chest, killing him on the spot.

Later that day, Devoe traveled to Jonestown, Texas, to the home of his former girlfriend, Paula Griffith. Inside the house were Griffith, 46, her 15-year-old daughter Haylie Faulkner, her boyfriend Jay Feltner, 48, and 17-year-old Danielle Hensley, a friend of Haylie’s who was staying overnight. Devoe shot and killed all four individuals. Griffith was shot in the back of the head; Haylie was shot in the right temple. Feltner was shot in the left temple, with the bullet also striking his arm. Hensley was shot four times—three times in the head and once in the arm.

The bodies were discovered by Hensley’s parents, who had grown concerned after their daughter failed to call home. After seeing reports of Allred’s murder, they went to the house and alerted police. Officers found all four victims along with the stolen truck Devoe had driven.

After the Jonestown murders, Devoe stole Griffith’s station wagon and began driving north. On August 25, 2007, he arrived in Greencastle, Pennsylvania. When the stolen vehicle began malfunctioning, Devoe searched for another car. He came upon the home of 81-year-old Betty Jane Dehart. Devoe shot and killed her, then stole her Hyundai Elantra and continued his journey to Long Island, New York.

Devoe was apprehended on August 27, 2007, by members of the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. He initially threatened to take his own life but surrendered peacefully. Authorities returned Devoe to Texas for prosecution.

In November 2007, Devoe was indicted on capital murder charges related to the deaths of Haylie Faulkner and Danielle Hensley. The prosecution sought the death penalty. Before the trial could proceed, Devoe was declared mentally incompetent and transferred to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. He was ruled competent to stand trial in April 2009.

Devoe pleaded not guilty in August 2009. His trial began in September that year. On October 2, 2009, Devoe was convicted of two counts of capital murder. During sentencing, the prosecution emphasized his violent history and the ongoing danger he posed. The jury unanimously recommended the death penalty, and on October 8, 2009, Devoe was formally sentenced to death. Victim impact statements were presented in court, including those from the families of both girls.

Devoe was transferred to Texas death row at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit on October 16, 2009. Although Devoe was never tried for the murders of Michael Allred, Paula Griffith, Jay Feltner, or Betty Dehart, prosecutors in those cases reserved the right to pursue charges. In 2010, the Franklin County District Attorney in Pennsylvania declined to extradite Devoe for trial in Dehart’s murder after her family expressed satisfaction with the Texas sentence.

Devoe filed multiple appeals over the years, all of which were denied. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed his appeals in 2011, 2014, and 2016. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a further appeal in 2018, and later that year, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case.

In January 2026, the Texas Attorney General’s Office filed a motion requesting an official execution date. Devoe remains incarcerated at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit as of the most recent update.