In the quiet hours before dawn on August 31, 2019, the life of 32-year-old Ashley Nicole Lewis, a Black/African American female, was tragically cut short in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Just before 2:30 a.m., a 911 call reporting a murder-suicide near East 9th Avenue and Perkins Road shattered the morning's stillness. Responding officers arrived to a grim scene, discovering the bodies of Lewis and 53-year-old Christopher Lamar Stewart, both residents of Stillwater.
An investigation into the
devastating event revealed a story of domestic turmoil reaching a fatal conclusion. Lewis had been shot multiple times as she was pulling into a driveway. Witnesses later recounted that Stewart had been distraught over Lewis's decision to end their relationship and her plans to move back to Chicago. In a final, violent act, Stewart allegedly shot Lewis before taking his own life with a single gunshot wound.
The Stillwater police quickly classified the incident as a murder-suicide, concluding that Stewart's actions were driven by his inability to accept the end of their relationship. With the primary suspect deceased, the investigation was concluded. No further arrests were made, leaving a community to mourn the senseless loss of a young woman's life.
