Triple murder suspect pleads innocent
HOT SPRINGS — A man charged with three counts of capital murder in the shooting deaths of two women and a man in December pleaded innocent to all charges Tuesday in Garland County Circuit Court.
Nicholas Matthew Lewondowski, 34, of Hot Springs appeared before Judge Marcia Hearnsberger to enter his pleas to the three counts in the deaths of Paul Power, 40, Dory Ann Power, 46, and Brenda Sue Lawson, 60, all of Hot Springs. Their bodies were found Dec. 5 inside a residence at 208 Nevada St.
If convicted, Lewondowski faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole on each count. He has remained in custody with no bail since his arrest Dec. 6
A gag order limiting pretrial publicity, issued by Hearnsberger on Feb. 19, was served at the hearing. An affidavit of indigence was granted formally appointing the public defender’s office to represent Lewondowski, and a hearing to determine the admissibility of any statements Lewondowski made to Hot Springs police is scheduled for May 8.
According to the probable-cause affidavit, police responded shortly after 5 p.m. Dec. 5 to the 3300 block of Central Avenue to meet with a witness who possibly had information about a multiple homicide.
The witness said one of his friends, identified as Lewondowski, had visited him the night before at his residence. Lewondowski had three friends with him, known to the witness only by their first names: Dory, Brenda and Paul. While there, Lewondowski and the three friends got into an argument about one of them stealing property from someone else in the group, the affidavit said.
The witness said Lewondowski became “agitated” with all three of his friends and they got into a vehicle and went to what the witness believed was Lawson’s residence on Nevada Street, according to the affidavit. Lewondowski returned to the witness’ residence Dec. 5 and told him he had killed the three people who had been with him the night before, the affidavit said.
Lewondowski told the witness he needed his help and the witness went with him to 208 Nevada St., where Lewondowski nailed the doors shut, according to the affidavit. Then the witness helped Lewondowski move some vehicles, belonging to the three victims, to different locations, the affidavit said.
The only location the witness was able to describe was a parking lot at 103 Cherry St. where Lewondowski had moved a black 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix, later determined to belong to Dory Power, the affidavit said.
The witness said Lewondowski told him he “would probably need help disposing of the bodies later” and would contact the witness “in the next day or so,” and stated that “they would probably just burn the residence down,” according to the affidavit.
Officers went to 208 Nevada St. and discovered the rear door was standing open. The three victims were found inside “laying in pools of blood.” According to two search warrants filed in connection with the case, all three bodies had “multiple gunshot wounds.”
Lewondowski has a lengthy criminal history dating back 15 years with more than 14 felony convictions, including a conviction for second-degree battery in 2003. He was charged with first-degree battery Aug. 27, 2016, involving an attack on a fellow jail inmate, but the charge was later withdrawn for further investigation.