Reverend Thomas Lee Devlin was a 49-year-old African American Baptist pastor who was shot and killed on August 19, 1998, while leading a Sunday prayer service at his church on Old York Road in Philadelphia. He was struck 13 times by Juan Covington, who used a SIG Sauer in the attack. Early speculation pointed to a possible child custody dispute involving an ex-girlfriend, but investigators found no evidence to support that theory.

The investigation later tied Covington to multiple other shootings in Philadelphia from 1998 to 2005, including the fatal shootings of Odies Bosket and Patricia McDermott and non-fatal shootings of David Stewart and William Bryant. Covington, who was not related to Rev. Devlin, had a history of paranoid schizophrenia and believed Rev. Devlin had used witchcraft against him. He was arrested in 2005 after security camera footage linked him to McDermott’s killing, and in March 2006 was sentenced to three life terms. Covington reportedly attended Rev. Devlin’s funeral and was very upset at his death.

Does anyone in the Philadelphia faith community or who attended services at the Old York Road church remember Reverend Devlin or have information about him that could add context to his life and the congregation he served?