A tragic case unfolded in Kansas as a man received a life sentence for the brutal murder of his mother. Devin Joel, aged 24, was convicted on Friday for the horrific crime committed in 2023, where he used a “landscaping brick” to fatally assault his mother, Kacy Joel. The chilling details emerged from court documents, revealing that during the attack, Devin instructed his mother, “Mom, stay down,” while simultaneously contacting authorities and sharing footage of the scene on Snapchat and FaceTime.

Following the incident, Devin reportedly confessed to a neighbor, stating, “I’m a killer,” as noted in a probable cause affidavit. The court in Sedgwick County sentenced him to life imprisonment for charges including first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated robbery, with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

During the sentencing, Devin’s sister delivered an emotional testimony, highlighting the profound impact of her brother’s actions. She expressed her anguish over the fear and helplessness their mother must have experienced, saying, “I constantly cry about how terrified she must have been.” Her remarks, captured by the local CBS affiliate KWCH, underscored the heartbreak of a mother wondering why her beloved son turned violent.

The incident took place on May 30, 2023, when law enforcement was alerted by Devin’s own 911 call. In a distressing admission, he informed the dispatcher that he had attempted to kill his mother and was assaulting her with a brick. This call initiated the police response to Kacy Joel’s home in Wichita, marking the beginning of a harrowing case that concluded with a life sentence for her son.

Police responded to Kacy Joel’s home in Wichita on May 30, 2023, after receiving a 911 call from Devin Joel stating that he “tried to kill his mom and that he was beating her head with a brick,” the affidavit says.

“The 911 call taker heard the male saying, ‘Mom, stay down,’” according to the affidavit. “The 911 dispatchers could hear a woman crying and screaming in the background. The male said his mom was still breathing and that he was going to cut her tendon.”

Devin Joel later said that his mom was “brain dead, paralyzed, had stopped breathing and was dead.” He also reported that he was armed with a knife and threatened to attack officers when they arrived.

Devin Joel fled from the home after the slaying and went to a nearby residence, where he barged in through the front door. He had “blood on his face and was holding a knife,” according to the affidavit.

Devin Joel made the comment about being “a killer” before darting out of the resident’s home. He also visited a local business with the knife but left without incident.

Officers arrested Devin Joel, who was “covered in blood,” after seeing him running in the area, the affidavit says. “He said he had stabbed his mother and that the blood on him was not his,” according to police. “While Devin was saying this, he appeared calm and was even smiling while discussing stabbing his mother.”

When police went to Kacy Joel’s home, they found the 46-year-old in the backyard in a large pool of blood, on a concrete patio. A portion of her skull with hair attached was “among the blood,” along with “two human teeth.” The landscaping brick that Devin Joel used was broken in two and nearby, with footprints and handprints visible in the blood.

Kacy Joel was transported to a local hospital and medical staff “worked on her” before she eventually died. Devin Joel’s sister later spoke with police investigators and told them that he called her after the murder over FaceTime and “asked if she wanted to see her mother,” according to the affidavit.

“When she said she did, Devin turned the video to show their mother on the ground in a large pool of blood and obviously injured,” the affidavit says. “She later observed a video posted to her mother’s Snapchat account [showing] Devin and then their mother on the ground in a pool of blood.”

According to police, Devin Joel took selfie videos with his mother in which he appeared to be talking into the camera, but there was no audio. “His face is covered in blood [on the video],” the affidavit notes.

Joel’s family told police that he was having mental issues leading up to his mother’s murder that included “violent and angry hallucinations and general odd behavior.” He was found competent to stand trial before entering a guilty plea last year.