In the early morning hours of February 24, 2008, in Des Moines, Iowa, the life of 18-year-old Richard Lewis, a Black/African American male, was tragically cut short. Lewis was inside a car near the downtown area with his friend, 18-year-old Damont Jackson, when gunfire erupted around 2:40 a.m. The shots proved fatal for Lewis, while Jackson sustained a leg injury that required surgery but was expected to recover.
The investigation into the shooting initially led police to seek two men as
material witnesses: 22-year-old Jerrid Winfrey of Des Moines and 37-year-old Dorian Mosely of Fort Dodge. Authorities at the time clarified that neither man was immediately considered a suspect in the shooting. However, the case would eventually focus on Winfrey. The motive for the killing appeared to stem from a dispute that had taken place months prior. Prosecutors later argued that the "seeds of this defendant's discontent" were planted when Winfrey's uncle accused Lewis of stealing a significant amount of marijuana from his house, a location Winfrey was supposed to be watching.
Ultimately, Jerrid Michael Winfrey was charged with the murder of Richard Lewis. Damont Jackson, the surviving victim, identified Winfrey as the shooter during the trial. According to Jackson's testimony, he saw Winfrey follow them to the car. Just as Lewis was getting into the driver's seat, Winfrey approached, put his arm inside the vehicle, and began shooting before walking away. A jury found Winfrey guilty of first-degree murder, attempt to commit murder, and willful injury causing serious injury. The man who murdered Richard's son's father, Jerrid Winfrey, is serving a life sentence. Richard's mother, Nicole Sanders, has publicly spoken about her grief and the devastating impact of gun violence, which also later claimed the life of her grandson.
