District Attorney Keith Higgins announced that Octavin Devon Grace, a 43-year-old resident of Kingsland, GA, entered a negotiated guilty plea in Camden County Superior Court on May 15, 2024. The charges were Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault. Grace's plea was entered before the trial in his case commenced.
The case records reveal that on the afternoon of August 7, 2023, Grace pointed a handgun at Ruby English in her second-floor apartment residence in Kingsland. Upon this threat, English retreated to her bedroom and barricaded the door with furniture to keep Grace out. She then called her parents in Miami who attempted to negotiate with Grace. Despite their efforts, Grace maintained his intent to shoot English. In an attempt to escape from him, English jumped from her second-floor bedroom window and fell into some bushes.
Grace followed English downstairs and shot her twice — once in the chest and once in her mid-section — which resulted in her death. The Kingsland Police Department responded immediately after the incident. Grace fled into adjacent woods but was apprehended by police without any further incidents. A property landscaper witnessed the murder and it was also captured on apartment complex surveillance video. Later, Grace admitted to shooting English.
Under the terms of the negotiated plea agreement, Grace pled guilty to Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault. He was immediately sentenced by Superior Court Judge Robert W. Guy to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole plus an additional 20 years for Aggravated Assault. These sentences are to be served concurrently. In Georgia law context, life with the possibility of parole means that he will have to serve at least thirty years in prison before he is eligible for parole application.
Assistant District Attorney Harold Moroz prosecuted the case for the State. Fifteen family members of victim Ruby English traveled from as far away as Miami to attend the trial; they included her parents, siblings, children, and grandchildren. They unanimously supported the plea arrangement and expressed appreciation for the District Attorney’s Office's handling of the case.
For further inquiries, members of the media may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.