MUNCIE, Ind. — A jury deliberated for nearly three hours Wednesday before finding a Muncie man guilty of killing three members of a local family.

Devin Xavier Myers was found guilty of three murder charges, as well as armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, criminal imprisonment and obstruction of justice.

The 30-year-old Muncie man, standing between defense attorneys Joel Hand and Sam Beasley, heard 5th Delaware District Court Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. He remained calm as the guilty verdicts were read aloud Wednesday afternoon.

After the guilty verdict was announced, jurors were told their work for the day was not over. In separate hearings, they would be asked to determine whether Myers used a firearm when committing the crimes and also whether he qualified as a habitual offender.

But Myers and his attorneys agreed to both points, ending the day’s hearing.

With Wednesday’s convictions and possible sentencing enhancements related to Myers’ gun use and criminal record, he faces a sentence that could exceed 200 years when he is sentenced by Judge Cannon on Dec. 20.

Myers was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Kylan Ryan Musick; Musick’s grandfather, Malcolm Perdue, 69; and the teen’s great-aunt, Kendra Kay Swift, 51.

On the witness stand Tuesday Myers admits to fatally shooting Musickbut he maintained that the 19-year-old Muncie man repeatedly pointed a gun at the defendant’s head, prompting him to fire his own gun in self-defense.

This murder occurred on July 12, 2022, in the backyard of Myers’ home on South Pershing Drive. The victim’s body was dumped near Prairie Creek Reservoir.

Perdue and Swift were killed during a shooting at the Musick family’s South Liberty Street home early the next morning.

Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman told jurors in his closing argument Wednesday morning that they were watching “a tale of two Devins” on Tuesday.

Hoffman said “Devin the actor” was both “calm” and “nice” when called to the stand by defense attorney Joel Hand.

Myers argued in part that his co-defendant, 29-year-old Daniel Jones Jr. of Muncie, forced him to participate in the armed home invasion and was also responsible for the shooting deaths of Perdue and Swift.

While being cross-examined by Deputy Attorney General Zach Craig, Hoffman claimed sightings of the “Killer Giant” and described his behavior as “narcissistic” and “unrepentant.”

Hoffman called the defendant a “confessed liar” as he recounted various stories Myers told police after the events that led to Musick’s death.

The prosecutor said Myers got a “preview of all the goodies” when he visited Musick’s home just hours before the teen was fatally shot.

The defendant then launched a plan to steal “Kyler’s safe, Kyler’s drugs (and) Kyler’s AR-15 rifle,” Hoffman said.

The prosecutor said Myers’ account of the murders at the Liberty Street home — including his claim that Swift fired the gunshots that struck Perdue after briefly gaining control of one of Jones’ firearms — was “ridiculous nonsense.” he said.

In his closing statement, defense attorney Hand urged the jury not to make decisions based on “emotion and passion.”

The lawyer said Myers acted in self-defense when he shot Musick, but that the defendant and the teenager shared “a relationship of friendship, love and mutual respect.”

Hand also alleged that his client’s co-defendant, Jones, “was the person who planned, planned and carried out this robbery.”

Jones testified Friday: He reluctantly participated in the home invasion because he was afraid of Myers If he didn’t he would have shot her. He also testified that Myers killed Perdue and Swift.

Hand told the jury that Myers was guilty of only one of the nine charges against him: obstruction of justice, a charge stemming from the disposal of Musick’s remains.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or [email protected].

This article was first published in Muncie Star Press: Devin Xavier Myers of Muncie, Indiana, guilty of murdering three people