Columbus Man Sentenced in Strangulation Death of Pregnant Girlfriend

Posted on 7/21/2025

Defendant: Devon Blair

A Columbus man has admitted to strangling his pregnant girlfriend, killing both her and her unborn child in 2024.

Devon Blair, 24, pleaded guilty today to one count of strangulation and two counts each of involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault. A judge sentenced him to 46 to 51.5 years in prison, plus an additional two years in a previous case of domestic violence and assault in which he spit on Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies.

Blair had been held in Franklin County Jail without bond since July 2024.

Case Background

On the morning of June 16, 2024, a woman texted 911 to report that Blair was assaulting her sister-in-law, Brooke Devinney, 19, inside their home. Columbus Police responded to the house in the 4600 block of Parkwick Drive and found Devinney, who was about 14 weeks pregnant, injured and unresponsive.

Devinney was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died at 8:45 a.m. Her unborn child, a son she planned to name Aiden, was pronounced dead a few minutes later.

Devinney’s brother and sister-in-law told police that Blair and Devinney had been arguing for about an hour inside Devinney’s bedroom, and the fight seemed to escalate before falling silent. After they texted police, they saw Blair pace throughout the house before exiting through the garage.

When officers arrived, Blair ran from the scene. He was arrested about five hours later and refused to speak with detectives, who noted scratches on his body and blood on his clothing.