January 16, 2026 Queens, NY They say you can run, but you can’t hide. For 21-year-old Dashanna Donovan, those words became a tragic, literal reality. After fleeing a life of abuse in South Carolina for the safety of her grandmother’s home in Queens, she thought she was safe. She was wrong.
On Thursday, the man who allegedly turned her sanctuary into a crime scene, 23-year-old Deovryion Ray, was finally brought to justice in a New York courtroom.
A Deadly Obsession Knows No Borders
Dashanna Donovan didn’t just move; she fled. Six months ago, she left behind a volatile relationship and a job at a South Carolina Walmart, seeking a fresh start in East Elmhurst. She was working overnight shifts at McDonald’s, building a new life.
But police say Ray was stewing in a "calculated, cold-blooded" rage. Driven by the fact that she dared to leave him, he allegedly tracked her across several states, eventually cornering her in a backyard on 96th Street on the night of September 12, 2025.
"She Ran Out of Her Own Shoes"
The details of Donovan’s final moments, captured on haunting surveillance footage, paint a picture of pure terror. According to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, Donovan was simply "hanging out" in the backyard when she looked up and saw a figure in a blue hoodie charging toward her with a gun drawn.
“She tries to run so frantically away from the scene, she actually runs out of her own shoes,” Kenny revealed.
She didn't make it. Ray allegedly chased her into a basement hallway, where he opened fire, striking her multiple times in the head and upper body. When officers arrived at 9:20 p.m., they found the young woman face down in a pool of her own blood.
The Long Road to Extradition
Ray didn't stay to face the music. He fled back to South Carolina, where he was later arrested on separate assault charges. It took a coordinated effort between the Queens District Attorney’s office and South Carolina officials to finally bring him back to New York to face the shadow of his crimes.
