Ex-con accused of destroying evidence in investigation of Fort Stewart soldier’s murdered wife

A former federal inmate has been charged with helping destroy evidence in the murder of the wife of a Fort Stewart soldier, and then lying to investigators and grand jurors in the case.

Devin Ryan, 30, of Hardeeville, South Carolina, has been indicted by the U.S. District Court grand jury on obstruction of justice and other charges, according to Bobby Christine, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, and faces up to 75 years in federal prison.

ExploreGeorgia man admits killing soldier’s wife at Fort Stewart

“The investigation into the 2018 murder of the wife of a deployed Fort Stewart soldier was lengthy, detailed and complex,” said Christine. “It was made even more difficult because of active, illegal efforts to impede the investigators working non-stop to find her killer.”

Stafon Jamar Davis, 28, of Savannah recently pleaded guilty to murder in the July 2018 shooting death of Abree Boykin, 24, who lived at Fort Stewart Army Reservation. Boykin was the wife of Sgt. Shawn Boykin, who was assigned to Fort Stewart’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. At the time of the murder, he was deployed to South Korea. Boykin asked military police to conduct a welfare check after she missed his call.

Ryan’s indictment said he knew Davis from their time spent in federal prison on unrelated charges. At the time of Boykin’s death, Ryan and Davis were on federally supervised release.

According to the indictment, after killing Boykin, Davis contacted Ryan for help in “getting rid of a car,” and Ryan provided directions to a location in Hardeeville, where he met Davis. The indictment charges that Ryan "destroyed a 2018 Honda Accord” and then provided false testimony that obstructed the investigation.

Davis admitted knowing Boykin since childhood. He also admitted to killing her and fleeing the post in her vehicle. Davis, who had been released from prison after serving a federal sentence for armed robbery, was later caught in West Palm Beach, Florida.

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