Inset: Brian J. Davenport appears in court on Jan. 20 (KTUU). Background: The home where Davenport allegedly killed his grandmother (Google Maps).
A man from Alaska, aged 29, is facing allegations of murdering his grandmother by shooting her in the back of the head while she sat in her wheelchair. He reportedly likened the act to “pulling the plug.” The weapon used was her husband’s firearm.
This week, authorities apprehended Brian Davenport, charging him with first-degree murder for the death of 87-year-old Velma Koontz. According to court records, Davenport intended to cause her death.
The Fairbanks Police Department reported that at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, they received a 911 call regarding a deceased woman at a home located in the 1000 block of 22nd Avenue, more than 700 miles northwest of Juneau.
Upon arrival, authorities found an elderly woman, later identified as Koontz, with a gunshot wound to the back of her head. Her husband, who had made the emergency call, explained to police that he discovered his firearm outside their home upon returning from the store, only to find his wife dead inside, seated in her wheelchair.
Brian Davenport was soon identified as a prime suspect.
According to the police report, “Officers engaged with the victim’s grandson, Brian Davenport, who immediately confessed to killing someone.” Davenport was taken to the Fairbanks Police Department for interrogation, where he waived his rights and admitted to stealing his grandfather’s gun to kill his grandmother. He revealed that his original plan was to target someone else but ultimately decided to kill 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.
