A Montgomery County jury has found a 23-year-old Kensington man guilty of second-degree depraved-heart murder in connection with the 2025 shooting death of his friend.
Benjamin Dresbach was found guilty Thursday, August 20, of second-degree depraved-heart murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence and possession of a short-barreled rifle in the death of 29-year-old Trevor Van Devander. The trial was held in Montgomery County Circuit Court before Judge Rachel McGuckian.
According to prosecutors, Montgomery County Police responded to the 3900 block of Franklin Street in Kensington on January 13, 2025, after Dresbach called 911 and reported that he had shot his friend inside the home.
Officers searched the residence and found Van Devander in the basement suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Prosecutors said Dresbach acknowledged that an altercation between him and Van Devander preceded the shooting. Dresbach used an illegal short-barreled rifle to shoot Van Devander in the head, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Dresbach faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2026.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Donna Fenton and Peter Larson are prosecuting the case.
