Grammy-winning R&B star Ashanti grew up in a close-knit family in Glen Cove, Long Island.
Her mother, Tina, and her father raised her and her younger sister in a happy household.
Tina, who is both Ashanti’s mother and manager, has always been fiercely protective of both of her daughters.
Devar Hurd Harasses Ashanti’s Mom Tina
But in 2006, her world was turned upside down by a man named Devar Hurd.
Devar, a gym worker from Indiana, began contacting Tina with repeated phone calls.
At first, the messages seemed pretty harmless.
He talked about Ashanti’s music and his admiration for her.
Tina first tried to ignore him.
When that didn’t work, she told him to stop.
She even cursed at him, hoping that he would leave her alone.
But the calls didn’t stop.
Devar Sent Tina Douglas Graphic, Explicit Messages
Instead, they became more disturbing.
By 2009, the messages had escalated in a pretty scary way.
Devar began sending texts that were graphic and explicit.
He told her that he fantasized about Ashanti in degrading ways and sent her disgusting photos of himself.
He also described what he wanted to do to her in a lot of detail.
Most worryingly of all, he even seemed to track her movements.
During Ashanti’s role as Dorothy in The Wiz at City Center, Devar texted Tina to tell her that he knew where Ashanti’s car was parked.
He actually sent a photo of the car, parked outside the theater.
Ashanti’s Mom Takes Devar Hurd To Court
Tina described her fear and disgust during the eventual trial.
She testified that she had to pull Ashanti out of a rehearsal when she learned that Devar might be in New York.
She hired extra security to protect her daughter.
Tina said in court that she was thinking the worst could happen.
She went on to say that her job was to be Ashanti’s manager, but that she was her daughter first.
In court, Tina was calm but firm as she described the messages.
She told the story of how Devar’s texts had gone from annoying to terrifying.
She shared her horror at the explicit photos he sent.
Tina Douglas Said, ‘It’s Very, Very Frightening’
Tina told the jury, “To look at it now, and I’ve been looking at this, the shock value just never goes away. It’s very, very frightening.”
Devar’s defense attorney, Richard Verchick, argued that his client was misunderstood.
He claimed that Devar’s messages were not meant to harass or frighten but were a misguided attempt at connecting with his idol.
The lawyer said, “What he wanted was what we all want in life, love and work.”
He described the texts as friendly repartee and suggested Devar was simply trying badly to flirt.
Prosecutors Refute Devar Hurd’s Attorney’s Defense
But prosecutors painted a different picture.
Assistant District Attorney Carolina Holderness argued that Devar’s behavior was dangerous and deliberate.
She pointed out that he ignored repeated warnings from Tina and her family to stop contacting them.
She said that the defendant refused to listen, and that the messages became more personal and more offensive.
Devar’s dangerous obsession with Ashanti was obvious from his texts.
Some messages described a future where he and Ashanti were married, while others hinted at his fragile mental state.
He wrote in one text, “My mental state is very fragile with all this.”
He sent over 30 messages in a matter of weeks.
Each one made Ashanti and Tina feel more and more afraid.
The jury also saw an explicit photo Devar had sent, which was displayed on an overhead screen in the courtroom.
Tina narrated the image for the jury, saying that she was sickened by it.
Devar Hurd Charged With Stalking And Aggravated Harassment
It was obvious how the trial was going to play out.
Devar was convicted of stalking and aggravated harassment in December 2009.
At his sentencing in February 2010, he expressed regret for what he had done.
He told the judge that his intent was not to harm, and that he always wished the best for Ashanti.
Devar Hurd Diagnosed With Delusional Disorder
But his actions told a different story.
The judge, Thomas Farber, noted that doctors had diagnosed Devar with a delusional disorder after his trial.
Judge Farber sentenced Devar to the maximum possible time for his misdemeanor offenses and recommended psychiatric treatment in jail.
The judge told Devar that it was obvious to him that he needed to get help.
The prosecution had pushed for the maximum sentence, arguing that Devar’s psychological problems did not excuse his actions.
The Assistant DA said, “Even if he believes that Ashanti was in love with him, his conduct was not that of a man wooing a woman,”
Ashanti’s Mom Speaks Out About Devar’s Sentencing
Tina expressed relief that the ordeal was over.
She said through a spokesperson, “We’re really so glad to have this behind us, and we feel justice has been served.”
Ashanti did not testify during the trial, and no one from her family attended Devar’s sentencing.
The experience had taken a toll on all of them.
Ashanti Opens Up About Her Sister’s Toxic Relationship
But Ashanti’s family are no strangers to terrifying ordeals like this one.
A couple of years ago, Ashanti opened up about some harrowing details about her sister Kenashia Douglas.
People Magazine first shared a clip from Ashanti’s appearance on Red Table Talk which also featured Kenashia and their mom, Tina.
The conversation took a dark turn when they started discussing the gut-wrenching situation of Kenashia’s toxic relationship.
Ashanti talked about feeling helpless when she found out what was going on in her sister’s private life.
She opened up about how difficult she found it to not get involved, explaining that they had to respect Kenashia’s decisions.
But although she wanted to respect her sister’s choices, Ashanti couldn’t help but feel like she should be doing more to protect Kenashia.
She said that she was the big sister, and she told her that she didn’t like her partner and didn’t think that they should be together.
Apparently, Ashanti used to tell Kenashia to leave the relationship all the time, and she described both Kenashia and her partner as toxic.
She would tell them that being together for them was like they were drinking bleach.
However, she also suggested that she understood why Kenashia didn’t want Ashanti to get too involved in her business.
She said that since Kenashia grew up as Ashanti’s little sister, she wanted her own stuff.
And this was why she put up with certain things.
Ashanti is 9 years older than her younger sister, and she found it hard to figure out what her role and responsibility was in this situation.
Ashanti Pays Heartfelt Tribute To Her Sister Kenashia
She said, “And it was just like, how do you deal with this? What do we do now? No one gets a book on how to handle this.”
One month before the interview, Ashanti had also paid tribute to her sister on social media in light of DV awareness month.
She wrote a lengthy post, in which she went into detail about how important it is to speak up.
She also expressed her enormous pride in her sister for getting out of such a horrible situation.
Alongside her post, Ashanti shared grisly and upsetting pictures of a wounded Kenashia.
In her post, she wrote that words would never be able to express how much pain and disgust she felt reliving those moments.
However, she continued, addressing Kenashia directly and saying that she was proud of just how resilient, strong, and unbreakable she was.
She described her sister as a warrior, and said that she loved her deeply and infinitely.
Ashanti thanked Kenashia for her bravery and for “bringing awareness to this evil, vile and sad behavior that so many women face every day.”
