Dashawn Revels Sentenced to 55 Years

On July 29, jurors pronounced Dashawn Revels guilty of murder in the 2009 fatal shooting of 20-year-old Bryan Davila. At his sentencing at New London Superior Court today, however, his attorney, public defender Bruce Sturman, made an impassioned plea for Judge Stuart M. Schimelman to overturn that conviction.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” said Sturman. “This verdict does not pass the smell test. Something here smells wrong. I ask for a judgment of acquittal.”

Sturman argued that the witness’s identification of Revels, at night from a distance of 265 feet away, was unreliable. He also said the absence of any gunshot residue on Revels’ hands and the fact that Revels, who is right-handed, had broken that hand and it was in a cast the night of the shooting, provided reasonable doubt. He also noted that Revels had identified two other men on the scene that night as the two men who actually did the shooting, making a case for third-party culpability.

“It’s obvious to everybody here how I feel,” Sturman said. “Not only do I believe [Revels] is not guilty. I believe he’s innocent.”

Judge Schimelman denied the defense motions.  “I do feel an appeal is in order,” Schimelman said. “Having said that, with all due respect to counsel, in my mind this jury did precisely what they should do.”

Although there are many examples of cases in which defendants have been convicted based on solely on the testimony of an unreliable eyewitness, Schimelman said he felt this was not one of them. There was ample evidence presented at trial besides the eyewitness testimony, the judge said, including Revels own admission to police that he had a silver gun and was present at the shooting.

“The jury heard all those facts,” Schimelman said. “There was sufficient guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Though he acknowledged that “many people were surprised that he was charged and convicted,” he declined to second-guess the jury's verdict.  

“We’re not here to determine guilt,” said Schimelman. “The jury has already done that.”

When it came to the sentencing, Sturman argued for leniency. He pointed out that there was evidence that the victim in this case had a gun which he may have fired. Although the jury chose not to consider that the shooting may have been in self-defense, Sturman asked the judge to take that into consideration as a mitigating factor at sentencing.

“Any sentence for my client is too long,” he said.

Schimelman, however, wanted to send a message with this sentence to other young people who may be running with the wrong crowd and turning to violence.

“I believe in deterrence,” Schimelman said. “We as a society cannot condone this conduct.”

The judge said that though he had read all the “laudatory” letters sent to the court by Revels’ family and friends, the bottom line was, “Mr. Davila is gone and is never coming back.” Davila’s absence will have a lasting effect on his parents, who were in court today as they had been every day of the trial, and on his child, who will grow up never knowing a father, the judge said.

Schimelman said that the shooting was a tragedy for both young men and their families but, he added, when the offense is murder, “there must be a price to pay.”

For 22-year-old Revels, that price will be tantamount to a life sentence. Under state law, the minimum sentence for murder is 25 years, with a maximum of 75. Schimelman split the difference, imposing a sentence of 55 years.

When given the opportunity to address the court, Revels stood and turned to Davila’s family. “I just wanted to say to the family that I am sorry for their loss,” he said.

Although the verdict may have taken Revels’ supporters by surprise, his family said they had prepared themselves for such a sentence. However, they added, they weren’t giving up yet and neither is Sturman, who announced his intention to appeal the conviction.

“I assure you, this is just the beginning,” said Sturman. Then, borrowing from a speech made by American Patriot John Paul Jones made on this date in 1779, he said, “We have not yet begun to fight. The fight has just begun and the truth will come out.”