Auburn man charged in fatal attack at White River Amphitheatre

An Auburn man accused of killing a man at the White River Amphitheatre after what prosecutors called a petty argument was arrested in Alabama.

On Nov. 4, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Devin Brice McCurdy, 31, of Auburn, with second-degree murder for the death of Brandon Godsey. This charge stems from an Aug. 27 incident at a Suicide Boys concert at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, where McCurdy allegedly punched Godsey once, causing Godsey to fall to the ground and hit his head.

According to prosecutor Thomas O’Ban’s statement in the charging documents, McCurdy was part of a group that exchanged insults with Godsey. O’Ban stated that McCurdy’s act of intentional violence was an extremely disproportionate and reckless response to a verbal insult and was committed in a public setting.

“During this extremely brief and petty argument, the defendant quickly threw a punch directly into the unsuspecting victim’s face, so that the victim was knocked out in the air and fell with full force onto the ground,” O’Ban stated. “The victim fell backward and hit his head directly onto the concrete pavement, and clearly lost consciousness.”

The jail roster in Lawrence County, Alabama, shows that McCurdy was arrested at 1:55 p.m. Nov. 13. His charge is listed as fugitive from justice. According to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney, McCurdy had his arraignment scheduled for Nov. 17, but it was unclear when he would be returned from Alabama. According to court records, McCurdy’s arraignment is now scheduled for Dec. 1, and Lawrence County jail records show him as still in its custody.

Godsey, 31, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after he was assaulted. Despite doctors’ efforts to revive him, his injuries were too severe and he died, according to a GoFundMe for Godsey.

“Brandon was loved by many who knew him,” the GoFundMe stated. “Brandon leaves behind his life partner, Brandy, and her son.”

Details of the case

At about 10:53 p.m. Aug. 27, a King County Sheriff’s Office deputy was flagged down near Gate 9 at the White River Amphitheatre by a citizen reporting an unconscious male on the walkway leading to the parking lot. Documents state that an officer placed Godsey in the recovery position and noted that his face was turning purple.

A responding deputy believed Godsey could have been overdosing, so he administered naloxone — an opioid overdose reversal medication — and then began CPR until medical personnel arrived. Documents state that Godsey was then pronounced dead at 12:33 a.m. Aug. 28.

A witness stated that she saw Godsey and someone from a second group exchange words with Godsey, and then all she saw was the person from the second group’s arm before Godsey collapsed. Documents state that the witness said that Godsey was knocked out in the air, and he fell with full force onto the ground.

Deputies interviewed Godsey’s fiancée, who was with him during the alleged attack. She stated that a woman made a rude comment to Godsey, prompting him to tell her to mind her own business. Godsey’s fiancée said that a man then told Godsey that he should not speak to women that way, and then a different man almost immediately turned around and punched Godsey, causing him to fall to the ground.

Documents state that another witness spoke to police, who recorded the man and others with him right after the attack. Through that video, the people involved in the alleged attack were tracked through video cameras at the White River Amphitheatre.

Through tracking the group, they found video of the group scanning their tickets, leading investigators to the home of one of the people who had been with the alleged suspect the night of the incident. Investigators interviewed the woman who said that the suspect, later identified as McCurdy, was the half-brother of someone in their group. Documents state that she said McCurdy was the one who threw the punch.

Documents state that officers then interviewed McCurdy’s half-brother, and he said that he got in a brief verbal argument with Godsey before he saw Godsey fall to the ground. McCurdy’s half-brother stated that McCurdy later told him that he did hit Godsey.

Detectives found probable cause to arrest McCurdy for second-degree murder, and they then executed a search warrant on his phone. Documents state that the warrant tracked his phone to Alabama, where McCurdy’s girlfriend has family.

Godsey’s autopsy found that he sustained blunt force injury to the back of his head. According to documents, the medical examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt force injury of the head sustained during an assault by another person and classified the manner of death as homicide.