Devrick R. Gail, 29, was arrested in the shooting death of Davon R. Daniels
A Virginia man who four years ago wrote to a judge that he was a ‘threat to society’ and needed mental health treatment has been arrested for murder.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports 29-year-old Devrick R. Gail was arrested Monday for the shooting death of Davon R. Daniel, who was found dead January 2.
In 2014, Gail wrote a letter to U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne while still incarcerated.
In it, he cites a 66 percent recidivism rate and says ‘that’s not a statistical category I want to be a part of’.
Gail also said he was ‘mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted’ and was ‘more of a detrimental threat to society’ than ever before.
Four years ago Gail wrote to a judge that he was a ‘threat to society’ and needed mental health treatment in order to stop re-offending
‘ I can offer a monumental argument that I am more of a detrimental threat to society at this given moment than I was eight years ago,’ he wrote
‘I am mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted… My inability to control anger and aggression keeps me in a continuous conflict with my environment and the people who are closest to my heart…’ he continued
It also stated he had an inability to control his anger continuously caused conflicts.
He asked Judge Payne, the senior judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, to transfer him to an in-patient mental health treatment facility.
‘In less than three years, I am scheduled to be released from prison,’ Gail wrote. ‘I can offer a monumental argument that I am more of a detrimental threat to society at this given moment than I was eight years ago.’
‘My inability to control my anger and aggression keeps me in a continuous conflict with my environment and the people who are closest to my heart,’ Gail said.
Davon R. Daniels, left, was found with a gunshot wound from which he died. Police suspected Devrick Gail, right, was behind the killing because he had been seen in the area
Gail said he’d received six disciplinary incident reports for fighting with other inmates and had to be transferred between three different prisons.
After serving 70 months for possession of a firearm by a felon he was released, but one month later, he was a suspect in a murder.
Daniels was shot and killed on January 2. Police immediately began looking for Gail who was often in the area of the shooting.
Gail was just beginning three years of probation when Richmond police charged him with murder in January.
He’s now facing a parole violation in federal court, and Richmond police say more charges are pending.
According to data released in 2016 by the National Institute of Justice, 67.8 percent of released prisoners were arrested again within three years and 76.6 percent were arrested again within five years.
Davon R. Daniels was shot and killed on Jan. 2 in the 1300 block of Coalter Street in the city’s Mosby Court area