SATURDAY

IN TODAY'S #DEMGAZ: Lewis guilty of Realtor's murder, gets 2 life terms

The Jacksonville man who killed real estate agent Beverly Carter and buried her body behind a concrete plant was sentenced to two life terms in prison Friday after a four-day trial.

The nine women and three men on the jury deliberated an hour to find 35-year-old Arron Lewis guilty of all charges: capital murder and kidnapping.

[FULL STORY]

[GALLERY: PHOTOS FROM THE TRIAL]

FRIDAY

4:05 p.m. UPDATE: Lewis found guilty of capital murder, kidnapping

Arron Lewis has been found guilty of capital murder and kidnapping in the death of Realtor Beverly Carter.

The jury returned with the unanimous verdict after about an hour of deliberations. Lewis was then sentenced to life in prison without parole.

A jury of 12 — three men and nine women — began deliberating about 3 p.m. Friday after the prosecution provided the closing statement in the case.

The verdict was read out to the court before Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herbert Wright about 4 p.m.

Before the case was handed over to the jury for deliberation, the defense also presented its case Friday. Beverly Carter's widower, Carl Carter Sr., and Lewis testified on the stand.

During his testimony Friday, Lewis was questioned on his narrative posted to Facebook of the circumstances of Beverly Carter's death. During cross-examination, Lewis was questioned by the prosecution on details he could not recall as the state sought to find flaws in Lewis' account.

Lewis was on the stand for for much of the morning. After a lunch break, his testimony continued for about 10 additional minutes. The defense then rested its case, signaling closing remarks in the trial.

Carl Carter Sr. testified Friday morning that he and his wife had marital issues in the past, though denied that their relationship was in a bad place at the time of her death.

The prosecution ended its case Thursday after two days of testimony from 19 witnesses, including Lewis' estranged wife Crystal Lowery, Carter's son Carl Carter Jr. and a number of investigators.

Lowery pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder and kidnapping for her involvement in the case. Her plea agreement stipulated that she testify against Lewis during his trial.

In Friday's closing arguments, the prosecution asserted its case that Carter's death was caused by suffocation after green duct tape was wrapped around her face. The defense asserted its view that Carter died as a result of being smothered in an alleged sexual act with Lowery.

3:05 p.m. UPDATE

The trial of Arron Lewis, who is charged with capital murder and kidnapping in the death of Realtor Beverly Carter, is now in the hands of the jury.

As of 3 p.m., the jury of nine women and three men is in deliberation. Before allowing jurors to deliberate, Circuit Judge Herbert Wright read aloud instructions to the jury pertaining the charges, witness statements and evidence presented during the trial.

Jury instructions were followed by closing arguments by the prosecution and defense earlier Friday afternoon. Court went into recess shortly after 3 p.m. as jurors convened for deliberation.

A verdict could be reached by the end of the day Friday.

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

— Brandon Riddle

2:45 p.m. UPDATE

Both sides in the case of slain Realtor Beverly Carter presented closing arguments Friday afternoon, after the defense had rested its case earlier in the day.

Deputy prosecutor Barbara Mariani began the state's closing argument with a visual element: a roll of green duct tape, intended to signify the prosecution's case that tape was the cause of Carter's death.

"This was the murder weapon," Mariani told the jury, reaffirming the prosecution's case that Carter died after tape had been tightly wrapped around her face.

Mariani also detailed the charges in the case: capital murder and kidnapping, which could be reduced to a lesser charge of first-degree murder.

Arron Lewis' attorney Bill James, in the defense's closing argument, repeated its case that, rather than being killed by suffocation with the tape, Carter could have died as a result of a sexual act gone wrong.

James also said that there is reasonable doubt in the case, making it impossible to convict Lewis.

Prosecutor John Johnson, in the state's final comments before jury deliberation, replayed a ransom audio recording of Carter intended for her husband, Carl Carter. He mentioned that Carter made a plea to a male figure using "he" in the recording.

Sometimes, one piece of evidence is all you need to convict, Johnson said.

— Brandon Riddle

12 p.m. UPDATE

The prosecution focused on what details Arron Lewis says he does not remember in its attempt to poke holes in the defendant's 22-page narrative describing what he says happened in Realtor Beverly Carter's death in September 2014.

In his account, published on handwritten pages to his Facebook page, Lewis described in detail the route he drove taking Carter to his home, what her naked body looked like and how he disposed of the Realtor's corpse after he says she was accidentally suffocated during a sexual encounter with his wife, Crystal Lowery.

Lewis said he did not remember what software program he used to mimic her voice in a voicemail sent to Carter's husband Carl Carter Sr., which said "don't call police, it could be bad."

The couple's son, Carl Carter Jr., identified the recording as his mother's voice in court during his previous testimony.

Lewis said he fabricated the recording after Carter's death because "it might be an angle to get something out of someone."

During cross-examination, prosecutor John Johnson frequently focused on details Lewis said he could not recall or that he left out of his original narrative.

Lewis frequently became defiant, answering "yes sir" or "no sir" to open-ended questions.

At one point, Johnson said he "misspoke" when he said a police witness identified Lewis returning to the scene of Carter's disappearance in a black car.

"Oh, that's what it's called when you do it," Lewis said.

Johnson clarified that the witness saw a slender white man.

— John Moritz

10:20 a.m. UPDATE

Arron Lewis testified Friday morning, telling a jury that his many run-ins with the law, distrust in the judicial system and desire to protect his wife led him to admit to a crime he says never happened. Before recounting the version of events he said led to Realtor Beverly Carter's death, Lewis gave an overview of his criminal past that he said began when he fell in with a bad crowd at 14.

"You got a minute?" Lewis asked the jury when his attorney Bill James asked him to tell them about his criminal history.

"I kept going and kept going, just repeated thefts," Lewis said.

Before repeating a graphic version of events previously described in an affidavit posted to Lewis' Facebook page, he told the jury he admitted to kidnapping Carter because he felt police would not believe his side of the story and that he wanted to protect his wife.

"They run a check on you and [find] you did something wrong, you did it," Lewis said.

According to Lewis, Carter died in a consensual sexual encounter with his wife, Crystal Lowery, while Lewis was away from the home. Instead of calling 911, Lewis said he listened to his wife's pleas to hide the body.

After the defense finished questioning Lewis, court was placed in a 15-minute recess.

— John Moritz

9:30 a.m. UPDATE

Arron Lewis' trial in the death of Realtor Beverly Carter began Friday with emotional testimony from her widower, Carl Carter, who was peppered by the defense with questions about marital troubles.

Carl Carter admitted to early transgressions in his 35-year marriage including an affair and drunken altercation that led to him punching his wife, but he said the couple worked through it to raise a family. He said things were "very good" when she died in September 2014.

The courthouse was packed for the third day of proceedings with many Realtors and family in attendance to support the Carters.

When the defense attempted to juxtapose Carl Carter's description of a strong marriage with statements he made to police about recent troubles, Carter said he needed reading glasses to read the transcripts.

Right away, several women in the audience reached into their purses and offered their own pair of glasses to help.

The prosecution allowed Carter to tell a different account of his statements. He told Chief Deputy Prosecutor John Johnson that conversations he had with Carter about leaving were made in general after witnessing other members of their family divorce.

The night she went missing, he planned on Beverly Carter coming home with dinner, Carl Carter said.

— John Moritz

IN TODAY'S #DEMGAZ: Police worked on hands, knees to uncover body

Pulaski County sheriff's deputies got on their hands and knees in the middle of the night to gingerly dig Beverly Carter's body out of the ground, jurors were told Thursday, the second day of testimony in the capital-murder and kidnapping trial of Arron Lewis.

[FULL STORY]

THURSDAY

6:30 p.m. UPDATE

The prosecution rested its case shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday in the trial of accused killer Arron Lewis, allowing the defense to present its case starting Friday morning.

Jurors were instructed to arrive early ahead of Friday's court proceedings that are set to begin at 8:30 a.m. in Pulaski County Circuit Court.

Before court went into recess Thursday evening, two employees with the state Crime Laboratory provided forensic analysis details of slain real estate agent Beverly Carter's body. Photos, many graphic in nature, were shown to the jury during questioning from both sides in the case.

Dr. Charles Kokes, chief medical examiner, told the court that Carter's death was caused by suffocation due to a mask of duct tape that had tightly surrounded her face.

Kokes added that Carter likely died within 24 hours of her disappearance, based on an autopsy report.

Pressing Kokes on his belief that Carter's death was caused by the tightly wrapped duct tape, Lewis' attorney Bill James asked if Carter's suffocation death could have instead been caused by a sexual act gone wrong before the tape was wrapped around her face.

That explanation for her death was theoretically possible but unlikely, Kokes replied.

After jurors were excused for the day, both sides discussed motions in the case before Circuit Judge Herbert Wright.

Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

— Brandon Riddle

5 p.m. UPDATE

After testimony that lasted nearly two and a half hours, Crystal Lowery left the stand shortly before 4:30 p.m.

During cross examination from defense attorney Bill James, Lowery responded to a line of questions surrounding the development of the kidnapping plan and the use of "Steve and Crystal Adams" aliases.

James, questioning Lowery on an email account that referenced the "Crystal Adams" alias, asked: "How was this ever going to end without the email [address] coming back to you?"

Crystal is a common name, Lowery answered.

Of the scheme as a whole, Lowery said she "knew little of his [Arron Lewis'] plan," and "didn't ask many questions."

The prosecution later asked to review a letter regarding Lowery's guilty plea used by the defense during questioning. Lowery said that the letter was from her but denied a specific portion stating that she entered into the guilty plea because she thought she would not receive a fair trial.

Toward the end of her time testifying, Lowery said Lewis didn't see the potential "pitfalls" in the plan.

"This was not a very well-thought-out scheme," she said.

A deputy was called to the stand after Lowery's testimony, followed by Shantell Taylor with the state Crime Laboratory.

On the stand, Taylor detailed the nature of how the tape was placed across Carter's face, saying that pieces were "stacked" and "somewhat overlapping."

— Brandon Riddle

3:30 p.m. UPDATE

Before court went into a 15-minute recess about 3:13 p.m., deputy prosecutor Barbara Mariani continued to question Crystal Lowery on her involvement in the death of slain Realtor Beverly Carter.

The questions ranged from the purchase of topsoil and a shovel from a Wal-Mart to her involvement at the crime scene where Carter's body was found buried in a shallow grave.

Lowery said she held a flashlight at the Argos concrete plant in Cabot as accused killer Arron Lewis dug a hole for Carter's body, which was later "pulled" into the hole.

As the case progressed, Lowery said she heard from Lewis, who had prepared his ideas for her defense.

Responding to inquiries into her personal life, the estranged wife of Lewis said she was a prostitute at the time but denied any contact of a sexual nature with Carter, as Lewis had claimed in an affidavit.

Lowery in court admitted to still having feelings for Lewis, answering "Yes" to a question of whether she still kept in contact with Lewis.

The defense was expected to question Lowery on the stand after court readjourned.

— Brandon Riddle

2:40 p.m. UPDATE

The estranged wife of accused killer Arron Lewis took the stand Thursday afternoon, saying Lewis was the mastermind behind Realtor Beverly Carter's kidnapping for ransom.

Crystal Lowery said Lewis was behind the plan to kidnap after he had scoped out potential victims in the Chenal area of west Little Rock and eventually narrowed his plans to a real estate agent.

That real estate agent, Lowery said, was Carter, whose field was chosen based on the perception of financial wealth.

Lowery said Lewis was responsible for the actual act of killing Carter, who was found buried in a shallow grave at an Argos concrete plant in Cabot.

When asked how much she and Lewis were expecting in terms of money, Lowery replied: $100,000. That $100,000 was to be split in an amount that she did not know, Lowery said.

Responding to questions from the state as to why Lowery didn't call for help or aid Carter, Lowery initially said her unwillingness was more related to getting caught rather than the money.

"I wanted her gone," Lowery said, replying to the possibility of Carter connecting Lowery to the crime. Prescription drugs with her name on them could have linked her to Carter's death, she added.

"Permanently?" the prosecution asked.

"Yes," Lowery answered.

Lowery later said she didn't have a clear reason why she didn't seek help. She was visibly upset in court. She added that she was initially "numb" after what happened the day of Carter's death.

She previously pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in exchange for an agreement that she testify in the case.

The prosecution also presented Thursday afternoon an affidavit account from Lewis, detailing what Lewis said was a sexual encounter that ended in Carter's death.

Copies of the affidavit were handed out to jurors by chief deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Johnson before he read the document aloud to the court.

— Brandon Riddle

12:30 p.m. UPDATE

Arron Lewis' attorney Bill James completed a line of questioning about a TV reporter's exclusive interview with his client by insinuating that the reporter was a "tape recorder" as she took the stand for the prosecution in the trial in Realtor Beverly Carter's slaying.

James asked KARK/Fox 16 reporter Shannon Miller if any of what Lewis told her in the jailhouse interview — including that he wished he had told his wife he was having an affair with Carter and that he and the Realtor were at the cement plant where Carter's body was found before she died — was later proven to be false.

Miller said she was "not aware of what is true and untrue; I'm just there to get his side of the story," to which James repeatedly asked if that meant Miller's role in the interview was "just as a tape recorder."

Miller rejected that description.

Before breaking for lunch, the prosecution called Brittany Brouillard, a receptionist from a Wisconsin paralegal services firm, who described how Lewis twice asked her to access his Facebook page while he sat in jail.

The first time, Lewis asked for photos from his page be copied and sent to him, Brouillard said. The second time, she said he sent her a 22-page affidavit that he wanted posted to his Facebook page, and for the account to be made open to the public.

The defense asked no questions of Brouillard.

— John Moritz

11:45 a.m. UPDATE

A TV reporter who had an exclusive jailhouse interview with Arron Lewis was called as a prosecution witness in Lewis' trial in the slaying of Realtor Beverly Carter.

KARK/Fox 16 reporter Shannon Miller said Lewis "expressed he was wanting to tell his side of the story," after initially telling police about his involvement with Carter's disappearance in 2014.

In the interview, Lewis told Miller that Carter's death was an "accident," but that he felt like no one would believe him.

Lewis also said he wished he had spoken with his wife, Crystal Lowery, before police did so could be the one to tell her he was having an affair with Carter, Miller said.

Lowery pleaded guilty last year to murder in Carter's death as part of a deal that gave her 30 years in prison in exchange for agreeing to testify against Lewis in this week's trial.

Earlier Thursday, Lewis' defense team pressed an agent and investigator with the Pulaski County sheriff's office about how much others knew about Carter's "secret life."

Agent Michael Hendrix said no evidence of activity with dating websites was found during a police search of Carter's computer.

— John Moritz

IN TODAY'S #DEMGAZ: Prosecutor: Realtor's death grisly

Beverly Carter died writhing in suffocating agony behind a concrete plant, her face covered in a "green mask of death," killed because authorities were closing in on the Jacksonville husband and wife who had abducted her for ransom, prosecutors said Wednesday.

[FULL STORY]

WEDNESDAY

5:50 p.m. UPDATE

Court is in recess until Thursday morning after jurors, after a 15-minute recess Wednesday afternoon, heard testimonies from six additional witnesses in the death of Arkansas real estate agent Beverly Carter.

Jeff Allison, an investigator with the Pulaski County sheriff's office, described his initial interviews with accused killer Arron Lewis in the hopes of finding Carter alive.

After false leads that led to dead ends in finding Carter, Allison testified that Lewis ultimately led authorities to an Argos Concrete Co. in Cabot, where her body was found buried in a shallow grave. Lewis had previously received job training at the concrete plant.

Allison was also questioned on his title as lead investigator in the case and its corresponding responsibilities for record-keeping.

The manager of the concrete plant answered questions from the defense, calling Lewis a "sharp" and "knowledgeable" student during the time Lewis took a training course at the business.

Steve Burroughs with the FBI in Little Rock also testified Wednesday, explaining the interview process that led to the discovery of Carter's body.

Two additional Pulaski County sheriff's deputies also spoke about their interactions with Lewis.

One deputy described his monitoring of Lewis' vehicle as he watched Lewis drive and ultimately overturn his vehicle at a sharp curve, requiring medical attention. Another investigator testified about his time with Lewis at the hospital.

— Brandon Riddle

3:30 p.m. UPDATE

A second former investigator in the case of slain Realtor Beverly Carter took the stand Wednesday afternoon, testifying on email and phone conversations.

Michael Hendrix said, through the course of analyzing Internet provider data, investigators were able to trace an email sent from a "Steve Adams" back to Lewis. The email sent to Carter related to real estate listings, he testified.

The Google-based email account Lewis used to communicate with Carter was created about 9:39 a.m. Sept, 24, 2014, he told the court.

Court adjourned for a 15-minute recess after Hendrix's testimony. Court went back into session about 3:35 p.m.

— Brandon Riddle

2:50 p.m. UPDATE

After a court recess that lasted about an hour Wednesday afternoon, the state called its next witness to the stand in the Arron Lewis trial: a then-investigator with the Pulaski County sheriff's office who worked on the case.

Drew Evans, who now works as a special agent with the Arkansas attorney general's office, remained on the stand until about 2:48 p.m. after court re-adjourned about 1:50 p.m., answering questions from the prosecution and defense about text conversations between Realtor Beverly Carter and her accused killer Arron Lewis.

Forty-nine text messages were sent between Lewis and Carter in September 2014, Evans testified before the court.

Evans testified that the messages from Lewis originated from a "spoof" number that disguised his real phone number while Lewis used a "Steve Adams" alias.

The state also questioned Evans on the stand regarding text messages between Lewis and his wife, Crystal Lowery.

Some of those messages were "hard deleted, while others were deleted but able to be retrieved, Evans said.

Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

— Brandon Riddle

12:40 p.m. UPDATE:

An Arkansas prosecutor told jurors that a man killed a real estate agent when a ransom plan began to fall through, though his defense attorney maintains the death was an accident.

Pulaski County Deputy Prosecutor Barbara Mariani said during her opening statement Wednesday that Arron Lewis targeted Beverly Carter.

Mariani said Lewis and his wife lured Carter to a rural home outside Little Rock and tried to demand a ransom from her husband, but when the plan started to unravel, Lewis killed Carter by wrapping her head in duct tape.

Carter was later found in a shallow grave.

Defense attorney Bill James told jurors that Carter died during a sexual tryst gone wrong, but Mariani said that's a complete fabrication.

The prosecutor noted that Lewis' wife, who has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the case, will testify about how she and Lewis went looking for a married real estate agent so they could demand a ransom from a spouse.

— The Associated Press

11:20 a.m.

Opening statements were underway in the capital murder trial for a man charged in the killing of a central Arkansas real estate agent.

Attorneys quickly seated a jury Tuesday in the murder trial for Arron Lewis, who is charged in the death of Beverly Carter, and opening statements began Wednesday morning.

Lewis' estranged wife, Crystal Lowery, previously pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the case and is expected to testify as a prosecution witness. She is serving a 30-year prison sentence in the case.

Carter disappeared in September 2014 after telling her husband she was going to show a house in a rural area near Little Rock.

— The Associated Press

EARLIER:

Opening statements are planned for Wednesday morning in the trial for an Arkansas man accused of kidnapping and killing a real estate agent.

Arron Lewis is charged with capital murder and kidnapping in the 2014 death of Beverly Carter, who disappeared after telling her husband she was going to show a house in a rural area of Scott, which is about 15 miles east of Little Rock. Her body was found days later in a shallow grave at a concrete plant where Lewis had previously worked.

Attorneys were able to quickly pick a jury Tuesday in the case. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

Prosecutors allege that Lewis killed Carter after arranging the house showing. But a judge has cited missteps from law enforcement and barred much evidence from being introduced at trial — including duct tape and pieces of Carter's hair found in the trunk of Lewis' car.

— The Associated Press