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Dexter Lewis convicted of 10 counts of murder in Fero's Bar and Grill murders, faces death penalty
A jury will now decide if he'll be sentenced to death.
Dexter Lewis found guilty in Fero's Bar & Grill murders
Unedited courtroom video from the guilty verdict in the Fero's Bar case. Dexter Lewis was convicted on 10 counts of murder - including felony murder and murder after deliberation for each of the five victims - as well as five counts of attempted robb
Dexter Lewis is accused of killing 5 people at Fero's Bar and Grill in October 2012.
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DENVER - The man accused in the gruesome stabbing of five people in a Denver bar has been found guilty of multiple counts of murder, robbery, attempted robbery and arson.
Jurors will now begin the next phase of Dexter Lewis’ trial, to determine whether he will face the death penalty for his crimes.
Prosecutors say the murders were part of a robbery at Fero’s Bar and Grill that netted Lewis and two cohorts a paltry $170.
On October 17, 2012, a Glendale police officer saw smoke coming from the bar on South Colorado Boulevard. He called firefighters.
The firefighters retrieved five victims from the burning building. All five were covered with blood.
The Coroner determined the victims had all been stabbed multiple times.
Prosecutors say three men went to the bar with Lewis. Brothers Joseph and Lynell Hill pleaded guilty under deals with prosecutors. The fourth, Demarea Harris, a confidential federal informant wasn't charged.
Harris and Lynell Hill say Lewis stabbed all five people. Joseph Hill initially agreed to testify against Lewis, but later refused.
Lewis allegedly told his cellmate that he had to kill everyone in the bar because they'd seen his face as he killed the first victim. Those killed were bar owner Young Fero, 63; Daria M. Pohl, 21; Kellene Fallon, 44; Ross Richter, 29; and Tereasa Beesley, 45.
Jurors began deliberating Wednesday.
In the end, they convicted Lewis on:
- Five counts of First Degree Murder after Deliberation
- Five counts of Felony First Degree Murder
- Four counts of Attempted Aggravated Robbery
- One count of Aggravated Robbery
- One count of Arson
On Tuesday, Jurors will be back in court for the sentencing phase.They’ll hear about aggravating factors first, and then will hear about mitigating factors.
They’ll have to deliberate up to three more times to decide on the death penalty.
Jurors will first have to determine if aggravating factors exist as defined by the law and if so, whether mitigating factors outweigh them. Then, they’ll weigh Lewis’ character against the impact of the crime.
They can stop during any of those steps and determine that Lewis should spend the rest of his life behind bars, or they can make it through all the steps and determine that Lewis should be sentenced to death.