A man who drove a vehicle while his codefendant leaned out the window and shot and killed a man was sentenced Thursday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Jacob Bruce Banks, 22, to 10 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Banks previously pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to first degree murder in Indian Country.
“Oklahomans should not have to fear being gunned down in their own communities,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “My office will bring to justice those individuals who commit violent acts in northeastern Oklahoma as well as those who help cover up their crimes. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will work to curb violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for all citizens.”
Banks admitted that on April 12, 2021, he was driving a car with codefendant Devon Blevins in the passenger seat when Blevins leaned out the car’s window with a pistol, sat on the door frame, aimed his pistol and shot a man riding a bicycle. Banks said he saw the victim, Maurice Burgess, fall to the ground when one of the rounds struck and killed him.
Banks then drove Blevins away from the murder scene and back to his residence He later helped dispose of the murder weapon to hinder the investigation into the murder. At Blevins’ trial, prosecutors argued that Blevins motive for killing the bicyclist was simply to impress members of the Savage Boys street gang in an effort to gain membership.
On Sept. 22, 2021, a federal jury found Blevins, 29, of Tulsa, guilty of first-degree murder in Indian Country and causing death by using and discharging a firearm during the commission of first degree murder. Blevins was sentenced to life in federal prison on Oct. 20, 2022. See the press release here.
The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan H. Heatherman and Michael F. Harder prosecuted the case.