The Texas woman who admitted guilt for her role in the 2019 fatal New Year’s Eve shooting of David Devora in Abilene has been sentenced to 55 years and a $10,000 fine.
Judge Jeff Propst of 104th District Court handed down the sentence Thursday for Rodaesia Winter Hines after hearing testimony in the incident that involved four other suspects.
Two of the four have been sentenced for their involvement in attempting to rob Devora at his cousin’s residence in the 2500 block of Rountree Drive on Dec. 31, 2019.
For the murder charge, the sentencing range is a prison term of 5 to 99 years, or life, and a fine of up to $10,000.
Hines agreed to have her sentence set by Propst after she entered in his courtroom Feb. 25 an open guilty plea to murder during a felony robbery in the case. A second charge of aggravated robbery was dropped as part of the plea deal.
Taylor County Assistant District Attorney Joel Wilks said the evidence presented during Hine’s sentencing hearing “was pretty much everything was the same” as during the trial for shooter Creshawn Howard, who pleaded guilty at the start of his jury trial March 8.
A jury sentenced Howard to 45 years for firing a shotgun through the door while struggling to open it as Devora pushed back on the other side. Devora was shot in the head and died at the scene.
In the Hines hearing, “the main thing was that she was who set everything in motion. I mean, our position is that people were acting on her behest,” Wilks said.
Court documents and testimony showed that Hines sought the help of the four other suspects in raising money to bail her boyfriend out of jail in Parker County. The four other suspects also knew the boyfriend.
Testimony and evidence in Howard’s trial indicated Hines helped plan the robbery. She was the driver who picked up the four other suspects on the day of the shooting. They first went to a fast food restaurant to discuss their roles in the robbery.
Hines then drove them to other locations to pick up a handgun and shotgun and switch vehicles. She remained in the vehicle during the shooting and drove the suspects away after the incident, according to previous testimony and court documents.
Following is the status of the four other suspects indicted in Devora’s death:Michael Wright-Collazo on March 3 pleaded guilty to a charge of murder and agreed to a 15-year prison sentence in exchange for his testimony against his co-defendants.
Michael Wright-Collazo on March 3 pleaded guilty to a charge of murder and agreed to a 15-year prison sentence in exchange for his testimony against his co-defendants.
He was unarmed when he knocked on the house door. When the door opened, Wright-Collazo was to rush into the house and grab cash and other valuables from the residents.
► Armed with the shotgun, Howard was next to Wright-Collazo at the door when Devora answered.
For fatally shooting Devora, Howard will serve his 45-year prison term. He also was ordered to serve five more years for violating his probation on an unrelated charge.
► Tyree Neal was indicted March 20, 2020, on one count each of murder and aggravated robbery in the case. According to court documents, he allegedly was holding the handgun while at the door with Wright-Collazo and Howard.
Neal currently is in Taylor County Jail, and his bonds total $150,000.
► Isaiah Arredondo was indicted July 8 on one count of murder for allegedly helping set up the robbery, according to court documents. Arredondo allegedly remained in the vehicle with Hines while the three other men went to the front door, according to testimony during Howard’s trial.
According to Taylor County Jail records, Arredondo was arrested on the murder charge Feb. 25, 2021 and released on a $100,000 bond March 20 that year.
On March 24, Arredondo was booked into the jail, where he remains as of Tuesday, on an unrelated charge of third-degree felony continuous assault family violence, according to jail records.
The trials for Neal and Arredondo has been rescheduled from the end of May to Sept. 26, according to court documents.
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