Chanel Lewis Sentencing Postponed Due To Hearing On Juror Misconduct
April 17, 2019, 11:39 a.m.
Chanel Lewis's sentencing has been postponed pending a hearing on a motion concerning juror misconduct.
The sentencing for Chanel Lewis, the Brooklyn man who was convicted earlier this month of murdering Karina Vetrano in a remote Queens park, was postponed until next week pending a hearing on juror misconduct. Lewis was supposed to be sentenced this morning.
A spokesperson for the office of Queens County DA Richard Brown said that the delay was prompted by a motion filed by Lewis's defense team, and confirmed that the hearing on that motion would be Monday, April 22nd.
The defense filed a 330 motion based on a juror’s affidavit claiming other jurors engaged in misconduct during trial and delib. Prosecutors obtained affidavits from three other jurors that they say “deny and controvert” the claims made by the other juror who alleged misconduct
— David Brand (@DavidFBrand) April 17, 2019
Sentencing delayed for Chanel Lewis pic.twitter.com/2ZE5f0tvSS
— Roseanne Colletti (@RColletti4NY) April 17, 2019
Earlier this month, a jury found Lewis guilty of the murder in the 2016 death of Karina Vetrano, a 30-year-old speech therapist. A November 2018 trial ended in mistrial with a hung jury.
A male juror in the second trial told the Queens Daily Eagle that he felt pressured into convicting Lewis.
"So, did he murder her? He probably did. But if this comes out in 10-30 years that we sent an innocent man to jail, especially a person of color, I would feel awful. That’s my only worry,” the juror said.
Near the end of the second trial, the defense also received a letter from an anonymous person who claimed to be a police officer. The letter claimed that police were initially looking for two white suspects in the case, until the department began a large DNA dragnet of black men in Queens.
Judge Michael B. Aloise, who also presided over the first trial, dismissed the defense's motion for a mistrial after the letter surfaced.
"He's not a monster as they as they want the world to know. He's a God-fearing, loving kind person," Veta Lewis, Chanel's mother, told Nightline after her son's conviction.
Vetrano went missing during an August 2016 run in Howard Beach. When she didn't come home, her father, Phil Vetrano, reported her missing. Hours later, while searching with police, Vetrano found his daughter's body in Spring Creek Park. Authorities say she was strangled and sexually abused.
The defense team for Lewis has argued that the 22-year-old's confessions—which was taken when he was 20—were coerced after being held in custody for 12 hours.
Supporters of the Lewis family left the courtroom chanting “Justice for Chanel.”
“Shut them up,” Aloise shouted.— David Brand (@DavidFBrand) April 17, 2019
Lewis's defense team also argued that the DNA evidence the prosecution used to link Lewis to the scene of the crime was misleading and far from conclusive.
With additional reporting from Mara Silvers.
