Lorton's Antonio Prophet Maintains Innocence in West Virginia Double Murder Trial

, the Lorton man on trial in West Virginia for the double murder of a woman and her son, told a jury on Friday that he saw the murders committed and barely escaped from the burning home with his life.

Prophet, 36, was charged last year with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson in the deaths of Angela Kay Devonshire, 22, and Andre White, 3, of Bunker Hill W.Va. He is accused of slashing their throats and then setting her house in 2010. 

Prophet told the jury in the Berkeley County Circuit Court that on the night of June 6, 2010, two men showed up at Devonshire's apartment with guns. Prophet said he met Devonshire a month before, while she was looking for drugs.

“I was growing very fond of her,” Prophet said twice on the stand, according to Herald-Mail.com. "I didn't make up any story."

Prophet said that the incident was sparked by an argument he'd had with a man named Joseph Medina over the ownership of a stolen laptop computer. The two men who entered the house, said Prophet, knew Medina and were acting on his behalf. One man, known to Devonshire as "Boogie," slashed the child's throat, and then led Prophet at gunpoint to the garage area, which was set on fire; he said he escaped to a wooded area, according to Herald-Mail.com. 

Closing arguments were made on Monday, and the jury has been given instructions on deliberation. 

Surveillance footage after the time of the incident shows Prophet buying beer at a local convenience store. He later reportedly took a taxi to a Manassas bar. He was arrested June 17, 2010, outside a homeless shelter in Charlotte, N.C. 

“Antonio Prophet has convictions for cocaine possession and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,” said Lt. Gary Harmison of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department, to America's Most Wanted. “He also has had several assault charges, resisting arrest, a DUI, and disorderly conduct. His most recent warrant is out of Washington, D.C., in May 2010 for destruction of property, a situation we also believe was domestic in nature.”      

Prophet is the author of an out-of-print mafia crime novel "Enter The Fire: Seven Days in the Life."  He is a former resident of , Fairfield Woods Court in Lorton, according to police. The book, which chronicles the life of a local philanthopist/mafia boss, has been panned by online critics and followers of the trial. 

Prophet reportedly made his way south from West Virginia first by taking a cab from West Virginia to Manassas, where he was seen at the 90 Grados Restaurant and Sports Bar before making his way to Charlotte.

"Do NOT buy this book!" wrote one reviewer on Amazon.com. "This man is wanted for a double homicide in my county. Do not contribute to his life, he deserves to burn like the trash he is!"

Another reviewer acknowledged that, "Although the author is innocent until proven guilty, the evidence against him was pretty staggering, even if the local paper cannot say so. Search your heart. Before you do anything that might enrich this guy, be sure that you're not supporting a murderer and arsonist." 

The father of the victim, Sidney Devonshire, is trying to get the death penalty reinstated in West Virginia. Although he testified before lawmakers last year, his efforts are ongoing, according to his Facebook page.