Opinion ID: 2810501
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Lewis’s Trial

Text: At trial, the State did not introduce any eyewitness testimony or forensic evidence against Lewis. The government’s key witness, Ovil Ruiz, was the only witness who directly implicated Lewis in the murders. Ruiz testified at trial, in substance, as follows. On the night of the murders, Ruiz drove Lewis and Morant to 634 Howard Avenue and waited in the car while they went inside. While he was waiting, he heard gunshots. Lewis and Morant then returned to the car with gym bags containing drugs and cash. Ruiz later overheard a conversation in which Lewis admitted to shooting Turner and 5 No. 14‐193‐pr Fields. And two to three weeks after the murder, Ruiz saw Lewis throw a gun into the river near the Chapel Street Bridge. On May 10, 1995, the jury convicted Lewis on two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder, one as to each victim. The Superior Court sentenced Lewis principally to 120 years’ imprisonment. On direct appeal, the Supreme Court of Connecticut affirmed Lewis’s convictions for the murders but vacated his felony murder convictions on double jeopardy grounds. See State v. Lewis, 245 Conn. 779 (1998).