Inset: Brian J. Davenport appears in court on Jan. 20 (KTUU). Background: The home where Davenport allegedly killed his grandmother (Google Maps).
A 29-year-old man in Alaska is accused of killing his own grandmother, allegedly shooting the 87-year-old woman in the back of the head with her husband”s handgun as she was seated in her wheelchair, comparing his actions to “pulling the plug.”
Brian Davenport was taken into custody this week and charged with one count of first-degree murder with the intent to cause death in the slaying of Velma Koontz, court records show.
According to a news release from the Fairbanks Police Department, officers responded to a 911 call at about 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday reporting a dead woman at a residence in the 1000 block of 22nd Avenue, which is just over 700 miles northwest of Juneau.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders discovered an elderly female victim, later identified as Koontz, who appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Koontz’s husband, who placed the 911 call, told police that he had gone to the store and when he returned, he found his gun outside the home and his wife “deceased inside the residence, seated in her wheelchair.”
Investigators quickly identified Davenport as a suspect.
“Officers made contact with the victim’s grandson, Brian Davenport, and he immediately stated that he had killed someone,” police wrote in the release. “Davenport was transported to FPD for questioning and, after being advised of his rights, admitted to stealing his grandfather’s handgun and killing his grandmother. He stated that he had initially planned to kill someone else but changed his mind and killed his grandmother instead.”
At one point during the post-Miranda interview, Davenport acknowledged that “killing someone is wrong,” but allegedly compared killing his grandmother “to pulling the plug on a person,” according to the release.
Court documents obtained by local NBC affiliate KTVF provided additional details about the circumstances of Koontz’s death. According to the documents, less than an hour before Koontz’s husband found his wife dead, Davenport had called 911 and provided the dispatcher with an address, but did not respond to any of the dispatcher’s questions.
An officer in the area reportedly found Davenport acting erratically along the side of a road. The officer brought Davenport to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital because he was exhibiting “careless behavior” and risked being struck by a vehicle.
While Davenport was at the hospital, police learned about his grandmother’s death and asked him about it and he promptly admitted to being the killer, the report states. When questioned about his motive for killing his grandmother, Davenport reportedly replied that he wanted to make sure she died “peacefully” and said he “didn’t want her to worry about the legacy she left behind.”
Investigators later learned that Koontz had been diagnosed with cancer and was under hospice care.
Davenport was booked into the Fairbanks Correctional Center where he is currently being held on $5 million bond. He appeared for his arraignment on Wednesday and is scheduled to be back in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday, Jan. 30.
The Public Defender Agency, which is representing Davenport in the matter, did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Law&Crime.
