Teenager charged in fatal beating pleads not guilty
One of the teenagers who was charged in the fatal beating of a 36-year-old woman in Washington Park in September entered not guilty pleas on Friday.
Kamare R. Lewis, 17, and Kevin T. Spencer Jr., 15, were each charged this month with one count of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of first-degree sexual assault in Milwaukee County Circuit Court in connection to the attack.
Lewis, who was in court via video for a preliminary hearing Friday, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Spencer also had a preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday, but the hearing was postponed to allow his recently appointed attorneys time to prepare for the hearing.
One of Spencer’s attorneys, Jeffrey Jensen, signaled that he likely will ask the court to move Spencer’s case to juvenile court.
Both Lewis and Spencer were charged as adults and, if convicted, could face life imprisonment.
On Sept. 16, Ee Lee was found severely beaten and unconscious at the edge of the pond in Washington Park and was taken to Froedtert Hospital, where she died from her injuries three days later, authorities said. She died from blunt force trauma to her head and suffered other injuries associated with rape.
Lee was found by two teenage boys, who later admitted to investigators they were present during the attack, according to detectives. They and two other witnesses said they saw Lewis and Spencer punch, kick and beat the victim with sticks, according to detectives.
Video from nearby surveillance cameras suggested about at least half a dozen people were somehow involved in the incident, according to court records.
The purpose of Friday’s hearing was to determine if there was probable cause to believe Lewis committed a felony.
In the hearing, the defense tried to raise doubts about the witnesses. Travis Schwantes, Lewis’ public defender, pointed out that one of the boys who found Lee initially denied being in the park at the time of the attack. When deputies visited the home where the boys lived, one of their mothers was heard telling the boy to delete everything off his phone.
“The allegations are based on two primary witnesses who have not been truthful and may have a motivation to dissemble in their information that they give police,” he said.
Court Commissioner Barry Phillips dismissed that argument, pointing to admissions Lewis allegedly made while in custody that he had hit the victim.
“The defendant himself admitted to taking part in this conduct,” he said. “The argument about the witnesses’ credibility is not persuasive to this court.”
Phillips found there was probable cause and bound Lewis’ case over for trial.
The two teenagers are being held in detention.