COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 19-year-old pregnant woman is dead, and a man is in custody after a domestic violence situation inside a southwest Columbus home Sunday morning, according to Sgt. Joseph Albert.
At 7:46 a.m., a text message was sent to 911 about a domestic violence situation at a home in the 4600 block of Parkwick Drive.
Officers with the Columbus Division of Police arrived on the scene just as the suspect, identified by authorities as 23-year-old Devon Blair, was running away. There was a brief chase, but the officers lost him.
The victim, Brooke Devinney, was found inside the home suffering from severe injuries from physical assault, according to an affidavit. She was taken to Grant Medical Center in critical condition and later pronounced dead at 8:45 a.m.
Court records say Devinney was pregnant and her unborn child was pronounced dead at 8:49 a.m.
Police conducted an extensive search for Blair after the incident. He was found and taken into custody around 12:25 p.m.
Blair has been charged with murder and was booked at the Franklin County jail. No charges have been filed yet for the death of Devinney's baby.
He is scheduled to appear in court on June 17.
Blair has an active arrest warrant for a previous domestic violence incident late last year involving Devinney.
According to court documents, he was arrested in December 2023 after Devinney reported that he assaulted, strangled and stabbed her in the stomach. The report states that while being apprehended for the incident, Blair punched and bit an officer.
He was released on a $350,000 bond after being charged previously with felonious assault, domestic violence and strangulation. The warrant was issued after he reportedly broke the conditions of his bond, court records say.
Franklin County Municipal Court records state that on June 13, Devinney filed a police report after Blair hit her in the face and threatened to kill her while the two were driving in the area of Interstate 270 and Georgesville Road.
"Domestic violence is real and it's a problem in our city, it's a problem nationwide," Albert said. "We urge anyone who is a victim of domestic violence reach out. There's resources to get you help and get you protected."
Devinney’s death is the fifth domestic violence death in Columbus in 2024, according to Columbus police. Since January, there have been more than 3,000 reports of domestic violence in the city.
If you or someone you know needs help to get out of an abusive situation call the free National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or LSS CHOICES 24/7 hotline at 614-224-4663.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Columbus Police Detective Jude at (614) 654-4503, the Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477).
📺 10TV+ is available for free: Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on demand content from 10TV — available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
📧 Subscribe to the Wake Up CBUS newsletter featuring the best stories, personally curated by members of our staff and delivered via email by 6 a.m., Monday through Friday.