A White City man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for bludgeoning his mother's boyfriend to death with a hammer.
Devin Ray Butler, 22, pleaded guilty Monday in Jackson County Circuit to killing 37-year-old Scott Evo Venturi on Oct. 13. Prosecutors negotiated Butler's conviction on first-degree manslaughter to avoid this week's scheduled murder trial, during which Butler would have claimed self-defense, said Karen Loomis, deputy district attorney for Jackson County.
Butler hit Venturi in the head at least eight times with a 2-pound hammer, Loomis said. There were ongoing bad feelings between the two over a mountain bike belonging to Butler that Venturi allegedly had stolen, Loomis said.
Although Butler's mother, Kimberly, had a restraining order against her son, she asked him to come over to her Ingalls Drive residence the night of the killing and pack up his belongings because she was being evicted. Venturi, also of White City, came to house that night as well and Kimberly Butler said she heard Venturi tapping on her son's bedroom door and Devin Butler "screaming profanities," Loomis told the court.
Kimberly Butler arrived in her son's room to see him hitting her boyfriend in the head with a ball-peen hammer, the type used in sheet-metal work, Loomis said.
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On the advice of friends, Butler called police that night and turned himself in, later leading detectives to the hammer, which he had stashed under a friend's double-wide trailer on Falcon Avenue. Butler did have some methamphetamine in his system at the time of his arrest but did not appear to be "under the influence," Loomis said. He was not employed and had been living on the streets and staying with friends, the prosecutor added.
After spending the past 10 months in jail, Butler confirmed in court Monday that he had agreed to his 17-year sentence to avoid the risk of a murder conviction, which carries a sentence of life with a minimum of 25 years before parole eligibility. He apologized for the crime.
"It's always kind of too late to say you're sorry," said Circuit Court Judge Ray White. "Your life is certainly not worth a bicycle."
Family of both Butler and Venturi cried throughout the hearing and hugged outside the courtroom. Venturi's brother did not choose to address the court.
Butler's sentence — longer than the mandatory 10 years for first-degree manslaughter — was based on the "level of cruelty" involved in the slaying, Loomis said. Venturi was found face down, clearly "defenseless at the time," she told the court.
Butler must spend 10 years in prison before he is eligible to be considered for an earlier release. White also ordered him to pay more than $3,000 for Venturi's funeral.
Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail slemon@mailtribune.com.
