Lawyer questions whether state’s evidence shows murder intent

STAMFORD — The lawyer for a man accused of slaying a 19-year-old Stamford High School graduate following a months-long feud has asked a judge to review whether there is enough evidence to warrant a murder charge against him.

Attorney Stephan Seeger requested a hearing of probable cause on behalf of his client, 21-year-old Everett Brown, during a brief hearing held remotely Thursday afternoon.

Brown, also a Stamford resident, faces a murder charge along with multiple other charges for his alleged role in the fatal shooting of Courtney Lewis, 19, during a car meet-up in a West Side parking lot on April 18.

Under state statute, all murder defendants are permitted a probable cause hearing though most defendants often choose to waive them.

During a probable cause hearing, the state presents its evidence and a judge is called upon to decide if there is enough to justify a murder charge.

At Thursday’s hearing, Seeger said he and his client had discussed the pros and cons of holding a probable cause hearing and decided to move forward with it.

Local defense attorneys say they often opt against holding probable cause hearings because the evidence presented during the hearing goes on the record and is permanently preserved, even if a witness dies or is not able to testify at the trial.

Brown’s probable cause hearing is tentatively scheduled to begin on Dec. 8.

Brown was arrested April 21 and charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment, carrying a pistol without a permit, risk of injury and carrying a dangerous weapon.

Three weeks after his initial arrest, Brown was also charged with murder and four counts of firstdegree assault.

According to the arrest warrant, Brown had a longrunning feud with Lewis dating back to a confrontation the two had at a prior car meet in Norwalk around September 2020.

In the lead-up to the shooting, Brown allegedly messaged Lewis on social media, sending him pictures of handguns and claiming “he and his friends from New York were going to come after Lewis,” according to the warrant.

The threats and intimidation got so bad, the warrant said, that Lewis even told a loved one that he wanted to make sure they weren’t around in case Brown “ever took his life,” the warrant said.

When Lewis learned Brown was present at the April 18 meet-up at RPM Raceway near the Greenwich border, he became incensed and confronted him, the warrant said.

According to the warrant, Lewis and Brown argued. Brown then allegedly pulled a gun and fired multiple shots into Lewis’ chest.

Two others — a 33-yearold and a 17-year-old — were also struck by the gunfire, police said at the time. Both suffered nonlife-threatening injuries, according to police.