Douglas Farley | Homicide Watch DC

Shawn Lewis Sentenced to 20 Years in Burning Death of Douglas Farley

Clara Pak — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 22:16:45 -0400

Shawn Lewis was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to setting aspiring DC actor Douglas Farley on fire, killing him.

Farley was 38.

"I'm very apologetic to his family and children," Lewis told a courtroom full of Farley's family and friends Friday. "We had ongoing problems and they kept going and going and they wouldn't stop," said Lewis. "That day I made a terrible mistake and decided to take matters into my own hands."

Lewis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July, saying that on June 28th he threw liquid on Farley, lit a newspaper on fire and tossed the newspaper onto him. Farley was engulfed in flames and seriously injured, charging documents state. Farley died five days later.

"Nothing I say can possibly heal the suffering the family has undergone and will undergo," said Judge Russell Canan in handing down the 20 year sentence. "You committed a horrific crime Mr. Lewis."

Farley's family asked Canan to enforce the maximum penalty allowed by the plea deal, a sentence of 24 years.

"There's too many bad people in this world. And we got one of the good ones taken from us too soon," said Marnell Hughes, Farley's childhood friend. "That's not fair."

Shawn Lewis Pleads Guilty in Douglas Farley Murder

Megan Arellano — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 16:59:03 -0400

Shawn Lewis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Wednesday in connection with the death of 38-year-old Douglas Farley. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to seek a sentence of 16 to 24 years. The maximum sentence for second-degree murder is 40 years.

Lewis will be sentenced in October.

According to the proffer of facts, on June 28th at 6:25 p.m., Lewis spotted Farley on the back porch of his apartment building at the 1600 block of 21st Place SE. Lewis approached Farley, threw igniter fluid at him and lit a newspaper in his hand. He threw the ignited paper onto Farley.

Farley was engulfed in flames and seriously injured. Five days later, Farley died of complications from those injuries. The medical examiner's office ruled the death was a homicide one day later.

According to charging documents, Farley told police that Lewis threw liquid on him, lit a newspaper on fire and tossed the newspaper onto Farley. Prosecutor Jonathan Kravis said gas cans were found in Lewis's apartment.

In entering his guilty plea Wednesday, Lewis said of the newspaper, "I didn't mean to ignite it, but I did ignite it."

Kia Sears, Lewis's defense attorney, clarified that Lewis meant he did not intend to light the newspaper, but "he was aware they could ignite" and aware of the possibility of serious harm.

Plea documents have been added to this post.

A press release from the US Attorney's Office is below.

District Man Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Murder, Admits Setting Victim on Fire -Attack Took Place in June 2013 in Southeast Washington-

WASHINGTON – Shawn Lewis, 41, of Washington D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder for killing a man in June 2013 by setting him on fire at an apartment building in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

Lewis pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Under terms of the plea agreement, the parties each agreed to recommend a sentence between 16 years and 24 years in prison. The Honorable Russell F. Canan scheduled sentencing for Oct. 18, 2013.

According to the government’s evidence, at about 6:25 p.m. on June 28, 2013, Lewis returned to the apartment building where he was living in the 1600 block of 21st Place SE. He then went to the back porch of the building, holding a lit piece of newspaper and a container of ignitable liquid. Lewis threw the liquid on the victim, Douglas Farley, 38, who was on the back porch. He ignited the liquid with the lit newspaper, engulfing Mr. Farley in flames. Lewis was arrested on the scene at about 9:25 that evening.

Mr. Farley was taken to the Washington Hospital Center, where he died on July 3, 2013. A post-mortem examination determined that Mr. Farley died as a result of complications from thermal and inhalation injuries sustained by the flames.

In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Debra Joyner, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, and Intelligence Specialist Sharon Johnson. Finally, he recognized the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Selden, Kathryn Rakoczy, and Jonathan Kravis, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Shawn Lewis Plea Agreement (PDF)Shawn Lewis Plea Agreement (Text)

Shawn Lewis Held in Connection with Douglas Farley Fire Death

Ivan Natividad — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 09:54:19 -0400

Shawn Lewis, the man accused of lighting fire to 38-year-old Douglas Farley last week, has been held on a charge of second-degree murder while armed pending a preliminary hearing scheduled July 9 in connection with Farley's death.

Lewis appeared in court Friday to be presented with the charge

Charging documents in the case say the fire attack stemmed from an argument Farley and Lewis had days prior.

According to police, around 6 p.m. on June 28, Farley was found suffering from severe burns covering almost 50 percent of his body. Farley told police that Lewis threw liquid on him, then lit a newspaper on fire and tossed it on top of him. Farley also told detectives that he had thrown beer in Lewis' face during an argument that occurred a few days before the fire attack.

A witness told police that the day following the beer assault Lewis said, "I can't keep turning the other cheek. The Kraken has been released," arrest documents say.

Farley died of his injuries July 3.

Charging documents say that in a videotaped statement to police Lewis admitted that Farley had thrown beer at him. Lewis also said that Farley had "bullied" him, documents say. But Lewis told detectives that he was not the one who lit Farley on fire; he was at his girlfriend's house at the time, Lewis said.

Charging documents are below.

Shawn Lewis Charged with Murder in Douglas Farley Fire Death

Penny Ray — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 20:21:27 -0400

Shawn Lewis, suspected of setting fire to 38-year-old Douglas Farley last week, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Farley's death.

Police say Lewis lit Farley on fire around 6:30 June 28. Farley was transported to a hospital and listed in critical condition; he died of his injuries Wednesday afternoon.

Lewis was arrested approximately three and a half hours after the incident, and has been charged with second-degree murder.

A press release from MPD is below.

Arrest Made in Homicide: 1600 Block of 21st Place, SE

(Washington, DC) – Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced that an arrest has been made in the homicide which occurred in the 1600 block of 21st Place, SE.

On Friday, June 28, 2013, at approximately 6:25 pm, units from the Seventh District responded to the 1600 block of 21st Place, SE for the report of a man on fire. Upon arrival, they located an adult male suffering from severe burns. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to a local hospital where he was listed in critical condition. On Wednesday, July 3, 2013, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The decedent is identified as 38-year-old Douglas Farley of Southeast, Washington, DC. On Friday, June 28, 2013, at approximately 10:03 pm, detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department arrested 41-year-old Shawn Lewis of Southeast, DC for assaulting the victim. He has since been charged with Second Degree Murder in the death of Douglas Farley.

WJLA: Douglas Farley Dies of Burn Injuries

Penny Ray — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 15:39:50 -0400

WJLA reports that Douglas Farley, a man who was set on fire in Southeast Washington last week, has died as a result of his injuries.

ABC7 reporters wrote Wednesday:

Farley was severely burned over half of his body in the attack, which happened on the evening of June 28 near 21st and R streets Southeast.

The suspect, Shawn Lewis, was arrested and charged with the crime. It's not immediately known whether he'll face further charges now that Farley has died.