An Inept Murderer is How Prosecutor Described Oregon Man Found Guilty of Lethal Shooting

“He’s not a criminal mastermind. He’s just an inept murderer,” is how prosecutor Brian Davidson described Devin Rose (32) who was found guilty of second-degree murder after shooting and killing Justin Graver on October 7, 2023, in the parking lot of a video poker bar in Gresham.

After being found guilty by a jury of nine men and three women at the Multnomah Circuit Court yesterday, Rose will face a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years at a sentencing hearing on October 18.

A Car Stereo Duel Ended in a Fatality

Prosecutor Davidson told the court that the two men were involved in a car stereo ‘duel’ in a high-vice area on Southwest Highland Drive.

When Graver raised the volume of his car stereo, Rose became angry and, according to witnesses, grabbed an unregistered pistol and fired all 15 rounds at Graver. Witnesses told the police that Graver had frantically dived to the ground head-first but was struck twice and died at the scene.

Police investigators discovered that Graver (42) was unarmed.

Rose then fled and scene, parking his RAV4 at the Berry Ridge Apartments where he disposed of the pistol in a black plastic trash bag.

The court heard that Rose then proceeded to pour bleach over the firearm, unaware that his actions were being recorded by a nearby doorbell camera.

Rose, from Portland, handed himself over to the police five days after the incident.

Defense attorney, Ted Occhialino said Graver was not diving for cover, but rather to retrieve a can of mace later recovered from the footwell of his vehicle. He said the incident was one of split-second decision making and that Rose had acted in lawful self-defense.

It took the jury two days and eight hours of deliberation to reach its verdict.

In a separate sentence – a common tactic preventing jurors from learning about previous convictions – Multnomah County Circuit Judge Christopher Ramas convicted Rose of a felony involving the possession of a firearm.

At the time of Graver’s death, Rose had been released from custody for shooting another man in the torso. The incident occurred outside My Place Hotel in Portland in September 2021. Rose had pleaded guilty to second degree assault.

Describing Rose an ‘an inept murderer,’ prosecutor Davidson said the defendant had turned himself in because the police had identified him early in the investigation and had begun contacting his friends and family.