Jury acquits man in North Side homicide as police charge witness in same slaying

Weeks before a Homestead man was acquitted Wednesday in a 2022 slaying on Pittsburgh’s North Side, prosecutors charged their main witness with the same homicide.

After deliberating for three days, a jury Wednesday found Jason Woodall, 31, not guilty of killing Meiko Devaughn in the Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood.

Now prosecutors will try to prove Rayco Saunders, 32, of Stowe was to blame.

Pittsburgh police charged Saunders on June 17 with homicide, criminal conspiracy and robbery. Investigators alleged Saunders conspired with Woodall.

Police found Devaughn dead around 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 30, 2022, in the 2400 block of Sorrell Street.

Surveillance video showed an SUV with Massachusetts license plates in the area at the time of the shooting, according to a criminal complaint against Woodall.

Police found the vehicle at Ross Park Mall near the Macy’s department store, according to the complaint.

The driver of the vehicle, who was not named in the complaint, said he heard Woodall shoot Devaughn, who had been riding with them, outside the SUV and went through his pockets before leaving the body in Marshall-Shadeland.

The complaint against Saunders identifies him as the driver.

Saunders told police he, Woodall and Devaughn left a bar and drove to the North Side. Saunders said when he got out to go the bathroom, he heard two gunshots, according to the complaint.

He told police he saw Woodall outside the vehicle, bent over, and Devaughn lying on the ground, the complaint said.

Saunders said Woodall went through Devaughn’s pockets before the two left and drove to Saunders’ house, according to the police account.

“We are in this together,” Woodall told Saunders, according to the complaint.

Saunders said Woodall told him to take the gun used to kill Devaughn and stash it at Saunders’ mother’s house, which he did, the complaint said.

Police said the gun, which they recovered, was linked to Woodall by DNA.

While the jury found Woodall not guilty of homicide and robbery, he was convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm.

“It was the right verdict,” Woodall’s lawyer, Elbert Gray, told TribLive Thursday.

“The family is relieved,” Gray said. “The victim was one of my client’s best friends.”

Gray said the prosecution’s evidence was circumstantial, adding, “We were confident that we would be able to show that.”

Saunders’ attorney declined to comment.

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s office did not respond Thursday to requests for comment.

Saunders’ preliminary hearing is set for August 15th.