William Devonshire, 52, a suspect in two homicides in the City of Sarasota from earlier this year, died over the weekend at the Sarasota County Jail.  The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said on May 17, 2022, Devonshire was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital following a medical event.  He returned to the Sarasota County Jail on May 27, 2022, and was under hospice care with a DNR order.  The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is confident he died from a medical-related illness but the official cause of death will come from the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Sarasota Police Department will now close the homicide case that happened in February 2022 and the homicide case that happened in March 2022 because of the death of Devonshire.  The State Attorney’s Office of the 12^th Judicial Circuit cannot continue to prosecute due to the death of Devonshire.

“We have indisputable evidence that links Devonshire to both of the homicides that occurred in February and March of this year,” said Captain Johnathan Todd, Sarasota Police Department Criminal Investigations Division.  “After analyzing the evidence in both homicides, we have determined that William Devonshire committed both crimes. Our detectives were in the process of writing a probable cause affidavit charging Devonshire with the murder of the second female victim in March of this year when we learned of his death,” said Captain Todd.

Devonshire was arrested in March 2022 and was facing charges of Murder in connection to the death of Kelliann Ripley, 48, of Sarasota.  The family of Ms. Ripley allowed Ms. Ripley’s name to be released publicly.  A news conference was held in March 2022 and can be viewed on the Sarasota Police Department YouTube page at https://youtu.be/UCInGbSj6uc

On February 25, 2022, Sarasota Police officers responded to a wooded area in the 1100 block of North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.  On February 26, 2022, the 12th District Medical Examiner’s Office determined Ms. Ripley’s death was a result of homicidal violence caused by blunt force trauma and manual strangulation.  Evidence collected from Ms. Ripley’s autopsy was submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for analysis.

On March 15, 2022, Devonshire voluntarily gave a buccal swab to Sarasota Police officers.  A buccal swab is a q-tip swab inside a person’s mouth for DNA comparison.  Devonshire was arrested Friday, March 25, 2022, by Sarasota Police Department officers in Pioneer Park, 1260 12th Street, Sarasota, on charges of trespassing, possession of cocaine, and possession of paraphernalia.  

On Saturday, March 26, 2022, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) contacted the Sarasota Police Department to share Devonshire’s DNA was a match to swabs collected from Ms. Ripley during her autopsy.

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