Murder suspect dazed at arraignment

A Sparks woman accused of fatally shooting her husband early Sunday morning in Churchill County appeared dazed and confused at her arraignment Monday.

Devonya Sacha Camara seemed disoriented as she was led into Churchill County Justice Court, where she was formally charged with murder with the use of a firearm. She will remain in jail in lieu of $500,000 cash-only bail until she appears at a status hearing set for Thursday.

Devonya Camara, 29, is charged with shooting David Patrick Camara, 33, with a 9mm handgun after the couple stopped along Highway 50 about six miles west of Fallon.

Churchill County Sheriff Richard Ingram said a call came into the sheriff's office at 12:57 a.m. from an acquaintance of the couple who had traveled to Fallon to hear David Camara's band twenty4seven play at Jive-n-Java.

Two men and two women were following the Camaras back to Reno after the performance when a woman in the car received a cell phone call from David Camara, the sheriff said.

"What was said was something to the effect of 'I need some help. She's out of control,'" Ingram said.

The witnesses pulled in behind the Camara vehicle, and a woman walked up to the passenger side, where David Camara was allegedly standing outside. The witness told police she heard arguing just before Devonya Camara fired a single shot, hitting her husband in the upper left chest.

According to documents filed in Churchill County Justice Court, when deputies arrived at the shooting scene, Devonya Camara reportedly told police, "It's my fault. I shot him. Take me to jail."

She had blood on her clothes, face and hands, the report states, and deputies recovered a 9mm Glock handgun and a spent casing.

Corrie Floto, the owner of Jive-n-Java, said she didn't see any sign of trouble between the couple during the performance.

"She had a glass of white wine. She was dancing. No one was arguing," Floto said Sunday.

Ingram said other witnesses also didn't see signs of a dispute between the Camaras.

"There's missing information and blanks we may never know," he said. "There are times when violent crimes have no witnesses. In this one, there were several people nearby who gave a good account of what happened. Fortunately, no one else was hurt."

David Camara played bass for the group twenty4seven.

One of Camara's band members said the group cannot fathom what could have led to their friend's death.

Drummer Chris Bowers said "everything was going great" during the show Saturday night. He expressed shock that Devonya Camara is accused of murder.

"We hung out with her. We were all best friends," he said about the four-member band.

Bowers described Dave Camara as a "total optimist" who lived for music. He worked for Realty World in Reno selling real estate, a job where he excelled, according to Bowers. He was also a guard at the Lovelock Correctional Center for five years before seeking a career in real estate.

In 2003, Dave Camara played with Covert Operations, a Fallon band that included a Fallon police officer. The group has since disbanded.

Trotter said he met Dave Camara through his wife when both women worked at Wal-Mart. The Camaras lived in Fallon before moving to Fernley about two years ago, and to Sparks recently, said Trotter.

"They were both pretty good people," he said. "I never knew of any violence at all. We did a lot of stuff together, shooting, working out and had them over for Thanksgiving dinner a couple years ago. I guess he was the closest thing to a friend I had in Nevada."

Trotter said the Camaras had been married nine or 10 years.

n Marlene Garcia can be contacted at mgarcia@lahontanvalleynews.com.