On a Sunday evening in Lafayette, Indiana, the life of 33-year-old Casey Lewis was brought to a tragic and violent end. On September 4, 2022, in the parking lot of a Walmart, a heated argument over money with her boyfriend, Anthony J. Perez, escalated with fatal consequences.
Earlier in the evening, Lewis and Perez had been seen shopping together inside the store. Surveillance footage captured the couple as they exited and walked towards Lewis's van.
It was there, amidst the everyday comings and goings of shoppers, that their dispute turned deadly. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and seeing Lewis collapse near her vehicle. Despite the immediate response of law enforcement and attempts to render first aid, she succumbed to her injuries at the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, the Lafayette Police Department identified the suspect as a Hispanic male and described his attire, launching a search for the individual who had fled the scene on foot. Their investigation quickly zeroed in on Perez as a person of interest. It was discovered that Perez, who was on electronic monitoring for a prior meth possession charge, had cut off his GPS tracker shortly before the shooting. This crucial piece of information, combined with witness accounts and surveillance evidence, solidified him as the primary suspect.
The search for Perez concluded days later when he was apprehended in Little Rock, Arkansas. Extradited back to Indiana, he faced a murder charge for the death of Casey Lewis. In the ensuing legal proceedings, Perez pleaded guilty to the murder of his girlfriend. Court documents revealed the argument over finances was the catalyst for the fatal shooting. He was subsequently sentenced to 78 years in prison for his crime.
