Cops: Man Killed Lyft Driver, Stole His Car for Family Event

Devin Powell claimed he found the vehicle running with nobody inside
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 6, 2022 3:25 PM CDT
Cops: Man Killed Lyft Driver, Drove Car to Family Function
Lyft helped investigators track the vehicle to Merrillville.   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

An Indianapolis man on his way to a family function ordered a Lyft—but police say instead of paying for a ride, he murdered the driver and stole his vehicle. Devlin Powell, 24, was arrested and charged with murder and robbery after police tracked the stolen vehicle to Merrillville, around two hours north of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Star reports. According to court documents, investigators used GPS to locate the vehicle after driver Anthony Garland, 34, was found dead in a grassy area near a roadway by firefighters responding to an unrelated call. He had been shot multiple times.

Investigators determined that Garland was a Lyft driver who had been reported missing by his wife, CBS4 reports. Records from the company showed that Powell was his last customer. According to an arrest affidavit, Powell was found driving Garland's white 2013 GMC Acadia, which still had blood stains on the center console. A man in the passenger seat told detectives that Powell was his cousin and had driven up that day for a family event. Police said Powell initially claimed to have found the vehicle running with the door open and nobody inside.

The suspect later admitted shooting Garland, but claimed he had done so in self-defense after the driver tried to "screw him over and take his money," according to court documents. Investigators said that after Powell shot Garland and dragged his body out of the vehicle, he changed clothes and bought new seat covers before driving to Merrillville. (More Indiana stories.)

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