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In the evening hours of August 13, 2017, Carla Lewis, a Michigan mother, was found shot to death inside a small room behind a makeshift bookshelf in the house she shared with her husband John Lewis. The couple had a secret marijuana operation going on in the same room.
Disclaimer: This article contains information about a murder that may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
Carla's husband John initially told the cops that two black men allegedly started shooting at them and that he escaped while the 55-year-old got fatally struck. However, authorities were skeptical of his version of the events and believed it was impossible for him to have escaped a shootout unharmed.
A key witness later handed authorities a particular kind of ammunition for a 9-mm pistol which he claimed John had asked for prior to the shooting. The casings matched the ones found at the crime scene. The motive was likely the victim's insurance policy and retirement funds. John Lewis was later found guilty.
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A recent episode of American Monster on ID delved into Carla Lewis' 2019 shooting death this Sunday, June 11. The synopsis for the episode, titled The Hidden Room, states:
"Carla Lewis gives her husband John money to open a medical marijuana store that sells pain relief products; spiraling costs, rumors of illegal activities and a string of infidelities eclipse the good intentions and sow the seeds for murder."
Carla Lewis was found gunned down in a secret room where she and her husband ran a marijuana operation
Carla Lewis was found fatally shot, lying face down in a secret room behind a makeshift bookshelf in the Berrien County home she shared with her second husband John Lewis. The scene was discovered when first responders reported to a distressing 911 call made by John, sometime around 6 pm on August 13, 2017. Police soon found out that the couple grew medical cannabis.
John claimed that two black men, already hiding in the room in question, started shooting at them as they were tending to their marijuana plants in there. Although he escaped unharmed, his wife got struck and died. A subsequent autopsy confirmed that Carla, 55, was shot at least five times, including once in the head. Her car was also stolen from the house.
Since the initial stages of the investigation, detectives refused to believe John's version of the story. They stated that his narrative just didn't sit right with them. Moreover, the husband told them that he never owned a gun.
But detectives were soon tipped off by Justin Hicks, one of John's emplyees from his business, who claimed that the former had asked him to bring ammunition that same afternoon. Justin handed detectives the Russian-made 9-mm calibre ammo he had given John along with a magazine for a pistol.
This particular ammunition matched the bullet casings found at the crime scene and the bullets that killed Carla Lewis. Following this, his claims of intruders and not owing a weapon fell apart and he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Not long after, detectives also found the victim's car, which was stolen at the time of her murder, abandoned in a cornfield on August 18.
Carla Lewis' husband fatally shot her to collect hundreds of thousands dollars in life insurance and retirement funds
Upon questioning family members, detectives learned about John Lewis' deteriorating financial conditions, especially his Sevenleaves Compassion Club in Niles, which wasn't making sufficient money. Carla was the one paying their bills and was about to ask him to shut down his business.
Detecives also learned that John was the beneficiary to Carla's $246,000 life insurance policy and $70,000 retirement fund, thereby fuelling their belief that finances were likely the motive behind the murder.
They eventually also learned about John's affairs and how he had been texting multiple women online. He even paid one woman in cash and weed to have s*x with him and had an incriminating internet search history.
John Lewis stood trial in February 2019 for Carla Lewis' shooting death and was found guilty of murder and possession with intent to manufacture marijuana. The following month, he was sentenced to life in prison.
ID's American Monster further delves into Carla Lewis' 2017 shooting death.
