FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 25, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Ryan: Convicted H. Beach jogger killer showed no remorse
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
More than two and a half years
aft er the murder of Howard Beach
jogger Karina Vetrano, Chanel
Lewis was sentenced to life in prison
without the possibility of parole
Tuesday at the Queens Criminal
Courthouse in Kew Gardens.
Th e 22-year-old Brooklyn man
was convicted of killing Vetrano in
August 2016 aft er he pulled her off a
running path in Spring Creek Park,
sexually abused and strangled her
to death, according to prosecutors.
Lewis was convicted following
a nearly three-week-long trial on
April 1. As Queens Supreme Court
Justice Michael Aloise pronounced
his sentence, Lewis slumped in his
chair glancing toward the Vetrano
family seated across the courtroom several
Chanel Lewis was sentenced Tuesday after the judge denied a motion on juror misconduct in the Karina Vetrano
murder trial.
times before he was handcuff ed and
led away. Supporters shouted “Justice for
Chanel” as he was escorted out.
“For more than two years, the family of
Karina Vetrano has been wrought with
grief and heartache. Th ey endured her
violent death, a trial and then a second
trial seeking justice for the 30-year-old
victim,” Chief Assistant District Attorney
John Ryan said in a statement. “Th is
young woman’s life was tragically cut
short. Th e defendant in this case has
shown not one ounce of remorse for the
heinous killing. Th e Court has ordered
the 22-year-old defendant to prison for
the rest of his days. It is my hope that this
sentence gives the family some comfort
knowing their loved one’s killer will never
see freedom again.”
Th e Legal Aid Society, which represented
Lewis in the fi rst trial that ended
in a hung jury, as well as his second trial,
vowed to appeal the case.
“While there is no denying that Karina
Vetrano’s death is tragic and that her family
and friends suff ered a great loss, every
aspect of this case, from the police investigation
to jury deliberations, was propelled
by a desire to convict at all costs,”
Th e Legal Aid Society said in a statement
immediately following the sentencing.
“Th is was done without any concern for
Mr. Lewis’s Constitutional rights to due
process and a fair trial. We will appeal this
case to the Appellate Division to secure
Mr. Lewis the justice that he deserves.”
Ryan stated that evidence presented
at trial included DNA analysis which
showed the defendant’s DNA was
present on Vetrano’s neck and her
cellphone, and there was a mixture
of Lewis’ DNA on the victim’s fi ngernails.
According to trial testimony,
Lewis confessed twice, once to
police and a second time to prosecutors.
In those recorded interviews,
Lewis stated that he was angry at his
neighbor and when he saw Vetrano
he grabbed her and struck her. “I
lost it,” he said.
In both recorded confessions,
Lewis said he punched the 30-yearold
victim to the point where he
broke her teeth and sustained an
open wound on his right hand.
Medical records from a doctor’s visit
the next day included an X-ray of
the hand injury. A photograph of the
hand injury taken from the defendant’s
phone were also presented
as evidence during the trial. Further evidence
presented at trial showed he had
done internet searches on his cellphone
about the victim, the crime and legal
information regarding Miranda rights,
the Fift h Amendment, double jeopardy
and death sentences.
Family and supporters said Lewis’
confessions had been coerced and that
the DNA evidence was ambiguous. Th e
defense said Lewis was the victim of a
rush to judgment by police and sloppy
investigative work.
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