Real life Oregon Trail ?

The family of a man wanted in the deaths of six people in Texas and Pennsylvania says he had suffered a rattlesnake bite days before the cross-country killing spree and had psychological problems; a combination of the snake bite, medication and alcohol combined to cause the killing spree/stupor.

"We feel it's a psychological stupor he was in,'' said Uncle Ed Nelson, outside court before a Long Island judge ordered the extradition of Paul Devoe III to Texas.

Devoe, 44, is wanted in the Austin, Texas killings of his 46-year-old ex-girlfriend, her 15-year-old daughter, his ex-girlfriends 48-year-old new boyfriend and his 17-year-old daughter. Preliminary autopsy reports found all four were killed by gunshots to the head.

Devoe's mother said her son called her saying, "Mom, I'm in trouble. I'm on the run.''

"He was not in a right mind,'' said Devoe's mom, adding that Devoe also called his sister and told her, "I'm in trouble.''

"My brother is not an animal,'' said his brother, Steven Devoe. "He's mentally disturbed in the head. I wish the people in Texas would take this into consideration: Spare his life. Don't kill the man.''



Before Suffolk County Judge C. Randall Hinrichs issued his order, New York Govenor Eliot Spitzer signed extradition warrants to send Devoe back to Texas to face murder charges.

Devoe is also a suspect in the death of a 41-year-old Texas bartender two days before those other killings.



Meanwhile Pennsylvania authorities have charged Devoe with killing Betty Jane Dehart, 81, at her rural home in Greencastle. He allegedly confessed to authorities that he shot Dehart and stole her car to continue his trip from Texas to Long Island, where he was arrested on Aug. 27 at a friend's home in Shirley.

Before his arrest, Devoe called his mother in New York using a cell phone that belonged to Feltner and told her he had killed five people, the arrest warrant affidavit said.



Devoe has been described as "a felon with a long history of arrests'' in Suffolk County including aggravated harassment, criminal trespassing, petit larceny and drunken driving.

What a fucking mess.


you have died from snake bite