Three Remain in Custody in Longview Murders

LONGVIEW (Staff/AP) — Three people remain in custody in connection with the murders of two men whose bodies were found near railroad tracks in Longview in March — and for one of the suspects, it’s not his first time in the news. KETK reports police arrested Hallsville residents Craig Deallen Davison (pictured), 50, and Patricia Baker, 19, while executing search and arrest warrants Friday on Roy Green Road in Hallsville. Officials also announced the arrest of Dustin Bennett, 36, of Longview. Davison and Baker remain at the Harrison County jail, each on a $2 million bond. Bennett is held without bond at the Gregg County jail.

Investigators say a tip led them to the three, all of whom are charged with capital murder. Jail personnel say records do not show whether the suspects have attorneys. Police have declined to give a motive for the killing. The case dates to March 23, when police responded to railroad tracks in the 3600 block of Estes Parkway after a Union Pacific crew discovered the bullet-ridden bodies. The victims were later identified as Dekeilen Nelson, 20, of Gilmer, and Kevin Lorenzo Stephenson, 28, of Henderson.

Davison’s name cropped up in May 2014, when his ex-wife, Christina Rae Davison of Kilgore, went missing. When police began their investigation, they found signs of struggle at her apartment, leading them to believe she had been murdered by her ex-husband. “There were some knife cuts into the mattress at her residence along with some blood evidence we found,” Kilgore Police Assistant Chief Roman Roberson told KETK in February of 2015.

Officials say Davison has a history of domestic abuse. He was arrested in July 2014 on a warrant for a previous assault charge involving Christina Davison. In August 2014, he became a person of interest in her disappearance. Davison was released from jail and arrested again on a family violence assault charge, not involving his ex-wife’s disappearance, only to be released later.

Then in February 2015, Christina Davison was found alive in Lexington, Kentucky. “A lot of evidence suggested that something terrible happened to her, so they were very surprised when they did get that phone call,” Roberson said during the February 2015 interview. Christina Davison was arrested for possession of marijuana. Police said she may have faked her death, as she was trying to start a new life in Kentucky. Officials said she claimed her relationship with her ex-husband was emotionally and physically abusive.