A former judge is weighing in on why authorities have yet to announce additional charges in the Fayetteville murder of Blake Deven after a recording appears to reveal a confession connected to the case.

Former Superior Court Judge Carl Fox said there is likely a legal strategy at play.

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In a recording of a 2022 phone call obtained by WRAL Investigates, a person confesses to helping dismember and get rid of Blake Deven’s body.

Blake Deven’s adoptive mother, Avantae Deven, is charged with his murder and the murder of his adopted sister, London Deven. Authorities arrested Avantae Deven on June 26.

Law enforcement has not announced any charges against the person recorded, who is a family member of the Deven family.

Because the person in the recording is not charged, WRAL Investigates is not identifying that person.

After a man named Nathan Mitchell provided the recording of the phone call to the FBI, WRAL Investigates reached out to the Fayetteville Police Department to ask:

  • If the FBI provided Fayetteville police with the recording?
    • If so, why additional charges haven’t been announced?

      Also, WRAL Investigates reached out to the Cumberland County district attorney to learn if the caller would be charged.

      "My hunch is this person is a cooperating witness," Fox said of the family member on the recording.

      Fox served as a Superior Court judge for 15-plus years. He also served as the district attorney for Chatham and Orange counties.

      WRAL Investigates played a recording of the apparent confession to Fox.

      "She literally had me buy a [expletive] trash can dude, to [expletive] keep him in there for a month," the caller told Mitchell.

      In the recording, the caller sounds frantic and upset. The caller admits to dismembering and getting rid of Blake Deven's body.

      "I had to watch his [expletive] body burn," the caller told Mitchell. "It’s been on my [expletive] mind and I don’t know what the [expletive] to do."

      Fox shared his thoughts on the recording.

      "You have to believe someone participating in something like would be doing it under some degree of duress of coercion and not just because they were ‘tra-la-la’ [and] wanted to cut someone up to see what it's like," Fox said.

      Phone call: Click or tap here to listen to the recorded phone call of the person who say they helped dismember Blake Deven’s body

      Mitchell said he made the recording because he and the Deven family member were having a previous, separate conflict. Mitchell said he has known the person for years.

      "Everyone who was involved in this needs to be held accountable," Mitchell said.

      However, Fox said it’s not always that simple.

      "When you have a case that is this old, it's going to be solved basically one of two ways," Fox said. "You're going to have a witness come forward who was there or got a statement from the person, the perpetrator, or you'll have DNA evidence confirm who it is."

      Fox said, from a prosecutor standpoint, two questions must be asked:

      1. Who do you want to convict the most?
        1. What level of responsibility do they have in the crime?

          "You don't get to have your cake and eat it too in these situations," Fox said.

          You can find complete coverage of WRAL's investigation into the Deven murders on WRAL.com or by clicking here.

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