Missing Arkansas Realtor - Beverly Carter, 49

[HairOfTheDog]

Lewis appeared in court today and pleaded not guilty to one count each of capital murder, kidnapping and robbery, as well as four weapons charges, according to the office of Pulaski County District Judge Wayne Gruber.

Investigators confirmed at the conference that they believe Lewis was the person Carter was scheduled to meet.

Speaking Tuesday, Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay said that they believe Lewis acted alone, and his office is not seeking any other suspects.

Holladay said that police have interviewed a second man in the case - whom he referred to only as "Trevor" - whom Lewis referred to as a "co-defendant" while speaking with reporters Tuesday. Holladay said that Trevor is not a suspect.

"We had him here yesterday, we interviewed him extensively, and we do not believe he's involved," Holladay said.

Full story: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cops-slain-r...r-suspect/
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Police aren't saying how Beverly was killed or giving any motive at this time, though the sheriff did mention reviewing phone records at today's press conference and it seems pretty clear that Lewis at least robbed Beverly of her phone.

Police don't believe that Lewis and Beverly knew each other.

[HairOfTheDog]

Why?

I wonder what the hell happened at that vacant house. Police have said there was no evidence of a crime being committed there.

It's been reported that Lewis flipped houses at some point and had a lot of cash on him at times. It's possible to me that he booked the showing with Beverly under his own name without planning on a kidnap/murder. If Lewis' name was in her appointment calendar, that could be one of the reasons he was so quickly pegged as a POI.

Kinda puzzled about the possible motive on this one, unless it was a targeted sexual assault. He left her purse inside of her car outside the vacant house. So, I think he probably forced her out of her vehicle as she tried to leave and wasn't thinking of robbery at the time. Doesn't seem likely that the plan was kidnap for ransom either; no demands were ever made, AFAIK.

Anyway, turns out that Beverly was buried in a shallow grave about 20 miles for the vacant house. The grave was on the property of Argos Cement in Cabot. Lewis worked at Argos up until a couple of months ago.

Beverly's funeral is scheduled for Saturday at the First Pentecostal Church in North Little Rock.

Ref: http://www.arkansasmatters.com/story/d/s...ZfzKI8DoLw

[IroningBroad]

The media was saying Lewis had targeted several other women before deciding on Carter.I imagine real estate agents as well.Tried to find a credible link besides people.com.Will look for it in a bit.

[HairOfTheDog]

The media was saying Lewis had targeted several other women before deciding on Carter.I imagine real estate agents as well.Tried to find a credible link besides people.com.Will look for it in a bit.

It's kinda hard to find updates, Broad -- I understand the judge has sealed case records on request of the prosecution (to avoiding tainting the potential jury pool).

Here's the latest. Lewis' girlfriend is charged with the kidnapping and capital murder as well. That surprised me.

UPDATE

Snip:
Lewis, 33, confessed to kidnapping Carter shortly after his arrest Sept. 30 but "refused to provide us with her location," according to the arrest report. The sheriff's office later found Carter's body, bound with duct tape, in a shallow grave at a Cabot construction site where Lewis once worked.

"Suspect and victim telephone records were able to be traced" to locate her body, according to the report.

Lewis and his estranged wife Crystal Lowery, 41, are charged with kidnapping and capital murder and are being held pending a trial. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Carter disappeared Sept. 25 after calling her husband to say she intended to show a house to a client near Scott, a small town east of Little Rock. Prosecutors said Lewis had made an appointment with Carter.

Lewis is believed to have been the person to whom she was scheduled to show a home before she vanished, investigators said at a news conference in September.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/arrest-repor...k-realtor/

[HairOfTheDog]

One down, one to go...

Updates regarding this case have been scarce as some legal proceedings and docs have been sealed.

Today a major development was announced in the media.


^ Crystal Lowery - 42, is charged along with her estranged husband in the slaying of a Central Arkansas real estate agent Beverly Carter. Today, Lowery pleaded guilty in Pulaski County Circuit Court to kidnapping and first-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Lowery had been charged, along with her estranged husband Arron Lewis - 34, with capital murder and kidnapping. The capital murder charge against Lowery was reduced to first-degree murder as part of a negotiated plea; she has agreed to testify against Lewis at his capital murder trial.

Beverly Carter (RIP), who lived in Scott and was employed by Crye-Leike Realtors of North Little Rock, disappeared after going alone to show a house to Lewis. Her remains were found shortly thereafter.

Lewis’ trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 12, 2016.

Lowery is suing Lewis for divorce.

[imsuchawildflower]

Minden said he could not release how authorities linked Lewis to the crime.

I dislike it so much when they do this bs. Why in the world would they consider it a secret. That immediately makes me suspicious that they have nothing more than their own thought.

Perhaps he, being on the run, could have access to getting rid of the information or part of it. If he doesn't know or think they have it, then he might not mess with it.

[HairOfTheDog]

GUILTY



Aaron Lewis and Crystal Lowery (pictured right) are both guilty of the kidnapping and murder of Beverly Carter (left).

Lowery pleaded guilty last year and received 30 years in prison. Lewis went to trial and was found guilty today. He faces up to life in prison without parole.

Lewis testified in his own defense and made up a bunch of bullshit about how Beverly died in a consensual sex act. But, Lowery testified for the prosecution against her ex and confirmed that the couple lured Beverly to a vacant home, kidnapped her, and then Lewis suffocated and buried her when their ransom plot fell apart.

Prosecutors secured convictions despite the fact that a judge excluded several pieces of key evidence that was improperly obtained.

Ref: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/guilty-verdi...ate-agent/