On the night of May 9, 2023, 34-year-old African American male Lafayette Demone Woods was fatally shot in the 2400 block of Sycamore Street in Cairo, Illinois. The Cairo Police Department requested assistance from the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 7 to investigate the incident. Woods was pronounced dead at the scene due to gunshot wounds.
Following an intensive investigation, authorities arrested 42-year-old Samuel L. Lewis, also an African American male from Cairo, on May 16, 2023. He was charged with First Degree Murder after evidence indicated he personally discharged a firearm causing Woods' death. Lewis was held at the Tri-County Detention Center in Pulaski County on a $2 million bond.
On January 15, 2024, a jury found Lewis guilty of First Degree Murder and determined he had personally discharged the firearm that resulted in Woods' death. Subsequently, on May 2, 2024, Lewis was sentenced to 70 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections—45 years for the murder conviction and an additional 25 years due to the statutory firearm enhancement.
Lafayette Demone Woods, affectionately known as "Lafay," was born on August 20, 1988, in Carbondale, Illinois. He was a devoted husband, father, and community member, remembered for his kindness and willingness to help others. Woods is survived by his wife, Bre'Anna Puckett-Woods, and their three children. Funeral services were held on May 28, 2023, at Cairo High School, with burial following at Green Lawn Memorial Garden in Villa Ridge, Illinois.
