Texas man's murder charges dismissed after his arrest 7 years ago
The Brief
Murder charges against Devonte Amerson dismissed
Amerson was arrested seven years ago, and has spent almost six years in jail fighting for his freedom
This all comes after the murder of Justin Gage in 2015 near Texas State University
HAYS COUNTY, Texas - The Hays County district attorney has dismissed murder charges against a man who was arrested seven years ago.
Devonte Amerson spent almost six years in jail fighting for his freedom.
The backstory
When FOX 7 Crime Watch reporter Meredith Aldis showed Devonte Amerson a picture of him getting out of jail, his reaction was, "That day was pretty heavy for me. I felt something instantly in that moment."
Back in 2015, the man who lived in a unit at The Retreat, a university housing in San Marcos, said three people came through his front door, shot Texas State student Justin Gage, took a cell phone, and left. Investigators said the phone was turned off immediately after the murder, then turned back on briefly in Katy, and again near Houston. Cell tower records showed the one other phone pinging at these locations during those times was Amersons.
Amerson was arrested in 2018.
"Just because they were here at those same times, they built a whole case around it and that just shouldn't be enough to take someone's 20s away," Amerson's attorney, Chris Self said.
Dig deeper
Amerson was held in the Hays County Jail on $250,000 and was unable to raise the money to make bail, so he sat and waited.
"It is ugly in there," Amerson said.
Court records showed he was scheduled to go to trial four different times, but a trial never happened.
"If the state's not ready for trial within a reasonable amount of time, someone's entitled to affordable bail," Amerson said.
It wasn't until December 2023 that Amerson's bond was reduced, and he was able to bond out.
"Do you blame your previous attorneys for not helping you get out sooner," FOX 7's Aldis asked Amerson.
"Yes," Amerson responded. "I feel like that's what I was dealing with, a bunch of people playing around with my life."
What's next
Chris Self and Brad Haggard took over the case in February 2025. They said they were ready, filed a motion for a speedy trial, and then the district attorney dismissed the charges.
The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the district attorney's office can refile them at a later date if they choose.
"I'm confident that they won't come back because I've seen the evidence, and it's just not there and that's why it was disposed," Self said.
"We're happy, but how can we continue to be happy for real, knowing that they can just come pick us up any given day," Amerson said.
Amerson said he's trying to look forward to the future, though.
"I was in a position where I was forced to live my dreams mentally to where now I did that so much, where I can get out and do it, and it's not going to be as hard because I already worked at it," Amerson said.
He said he has a demolition company and is learning the ins and outs of building residential and commercial buildings.
Amerson maintains his innocence.
The Source
Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis
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