In the spring of 2018, a dispute over a marijuana transaction in Waycross, Georgia, set in motion a tragic chain of events that would end a young man's life. On April 5th, 21-year-old Randy 'RJ' Killens Jr. was found shot and bleeding to death in the door jamb of a car. Emergency responders attempted to revive him, but his injuries were too severe. An autopsy would later reveal he had been shot in the thigh, the bullet severing his femoral artery and causing massive blood loss.
The investigation into the death of the male victim quickly pointed to two individuals: Latif Arthur Lewis and his then-girlfriend, Cynthia Rowell. The day before the fatal shooting, Killens and Lewis had been involved in a physical altercation in which Lewis was reportedly beaten. Angered by the fight, Lewis escalated the conflict by sending a threatening picture of the house where Killens's young son lived. The two men agreed to meet for another confrontation the following day. Rowell drove Lewis to the agreed-upon location. According to her testimony, Lewis exited the vehicle, approached Killens, and shot him in the leg. As Killens fell, pleading for help, Lewis calmly walked back to the car, gun in hand, and ordered Rowell to drive away, threatening her and her family to ensure her silence.
Law enforcement swiftly identified Rowell's involvement, and she was the first to be arrested, charged with murder. Her cooperation and subsequent testimony were crucial in building the case against Lewis. After a search that lasted over a week, police located and arrested Lewis, who was considered armed and dangerous. He was subsequently indicted on multiple charges, including malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault.
Cynthia Rowell eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated assault as a party to the crime as part of a plea deal that required her truthful testimony against Lewis. In December 2019, Latif Arthur Lewis was tried before a jury and found guilty of malice murder and other related charges. The court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His subsequent appeal, which argued for self-defense and ineffective assistance of counsel, was denied, and his conviction was affirmed.
