A tiny bloodstain left behind in a 2017 shooting at an Arlington apartment has now led police to a suspect. Detectives say DNA from that stain has linked 29-year-old Devin Cameron-Mack to the killing of 25-year-old Justin Dotson, and Cameron-Mack is now charged with capital murder.
Dotson was found shot inside his apartment on Oct. 4, 2017. Investigators collected a blood sample at the scene that did not belong to him, then built a genetic profile and entered it into the national CODIS database. For years, that profile sat without a match, until a CODIS hit this November pointed them toward a potential suspect. A follow-up DNA sample from Cameron-Mack, obtained by warrant, later confirmed the link, according to Arlington police.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Cameron-Mack was already in the Tarrant County jail on an unrelated aggravated robbery charge when detectives were notified of the DNA hit. Online records show his bail is now set at $1 million after police added the capital murder charge in Dotson’s case.
Scene and Evidence Recovered
The Arlington Police Department’s cold-cases listing notes officers found Dotson unresponsive inside an apartment on Valleywood Drive on Oct. 4, 2017. Evidence gathered from the scene included a blood stain that did not match the victim. That unknown profile was later uploaded to CODIS, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
How Investigators Used DNA
For years, the crime-scene profile generated no leads. That changed in November, when detectives were notified that a recently uploaded DNA profile for Devin Cameron-Mack had pinged as a match in the national database, police say. Investigators then secured a warrant to collect a second DNA sample directly from Cameron-Mack. According to a department spokesperson, that sample again matched the blood-stain profile.
Detectives believe the shooting happened during an attempted robbery “associated with suspected narcotics activity,” the spokesperson said, as reported by The Dallas Morning News.
Charges and Legal Context
Cameron-Mack is charged with capital murder, which in Texas can apply when a killing occurs in the course of certain felonies such as robbery and can expose a defendant to the state’s most severe penalties. The statute defining capital murder is available via Justia, and capital sentencing procedures are outlined through Texas Public Law.
How to Help
The Arlington Police Department is still asking for help from the public. Anyone with information about the 2017 killing is urged to contact Sergeant Sebastien Peron or submit an anonymous tip through Tarrant County Crime Stoppers. Details on the cold-case listing and tip options are available on the department’s website.
