A Hudson man was sentenced to serve more than two decades in prison following his conviction for second-degree murder during Caldwell County Superior Court on Monday, February 17, 2020.
Nathan Alexander Vasquez, 25, was given an active prison sentence of 20 to 25 years following his no contest plea for the March 28, 2015, beating death of 34-year-old Marcus Alexander Devlin at his apartment.
The Honorable Athena F. Brooks, Superior Court Judge from Henderson County, imposed the prison term for Vasquez, who entered the plea less than 24 hours before his case was set for trial.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
Devlin’s mother remembered him as a loving brother and sonbefore Vasquez offered an apology to the victim’s family prior to his sentencing.
Investigation of the murder by the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office showed that Vasquez beat Devlin to death with a metal car jack handle when he discovered that his former girlfriend was involved in a relationship with the victim.
On the night prior to the offense, the defendant repeatedly texted and called the female while searching for her in Caldwell and Catawba counties before finding her car parked at Devlin’s residence.
The woman told investigators she went to the apartment door and opened it slightly when she heard the defendant pull up in his vehicle outside the apartment. Vasquez pushed his way inside while swinging the jack. He hit Devlin immediately and continued to repeatedly strike the victim after he slumped to the floor. The autopsy report showed that the victim died as a result of blunt force trauma to multiple locations on the body.
Detective Ed Morgan and Capt. Aaron Barlowe spearheaded the investigation for the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from Special Agent Shane Greene of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Andrew Jennings and Jennifer C. Mathews prosecuted the case for the District Attorney’s Office.
CONTACT: Nathan Key
Phone: 828-695-6193
Email: Nathan.D.Key@nccourts.org