Bay Area couple charged with 2018 killing to face September trial
Besides first-degree murder, the pair, previously convicted felons, are charged with robbery during the commission of a murder, a special-circumstances enhancement.
A Vallejo couple charged with a 2018 fatal robbery will face jurors in September in Solano County Superior Court in Vallejo.
Devonte Levan Hicks, 28, and Jessica Marie McCraven, 36, who appeared Friday in Department 23, heard Judge John B. Ellis order them to return at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 4 for a jury trial in the Justice Building.
The judge also scheduled some pretrial matters, among them a trial confirmation at 8:30 a.m. April 15 and a trial management conference at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 23.
Fairfield criminal defense attorney Thomas Maas represents Hicks, and Terry Ray, also a private attorney, represents McCraven. Deputy District Attorney Bill Ainsworth leads the prosecution.
The case has been subject to a series of delays in the past five-plus years, due in part to reduced court operations and state and county public health directives during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trial was previously scheduled to begin Oct. 10 last year.
Hicks is being held in the Stanton Correctional Facility and McCraven in the Claybank Detention Facility, both without bail, in connection to the Aug. 20 killing of a man found unresponsive in a motel room on Enterprise Drive in Vallejo.
The Solano County Coroner in the past has reported the victim’s identity was “protected” and could not be released.
Court records show Vallejo police officers arrested Hicks on Aug. 22 in the 1000 block of Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo, and a short time later the same day arrested McCraven in the 900 block of that roadway.
Besides first-degree murder, the pair, previously convicted felons, are charged with robbery during the commission of a murder, a special-circumstances enhancement.
Additionally, Hicks initially was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm; possession of prohibited ammunition; presenting a false ID to a police officer; and felony probation violations.
Besides the main charge, McCraven initially was charged, based on bench warrants, with three counts of identity theft; possession of methamphetamine; possession of drug paraphernalia; driving with an invalid license; two counts of check forgery; two counts of failure to appear in court; and burglary.
The Solano County District Attorney filed a complaint against the pair on Aug. 24, 2018.
If found guilty of the first-degree murder charge with the robbery enhancement, Hicks and McCraven may face life in prison without the possibility of parole.