Terrell Maurice Lewis: The Jacksonville Multiple Murderer
Overview
Terrell Maurice Lewis is a convicted multiple murderer responsible for killing four people during two separate shootings in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2022. His victims included a young mother killed during an apparent road-rage confrontation and three siblings murdered together inside an Arlington-area apartment. Although Lewis has sometimes been described as a serial killer because he committed murders in separate incidents, his crimes occurred only weeks apart and are also commonly classified as a combination of serial and mass murder.
The first known killing occurred in March 2022, when Lewis shot 24-year-old Deja Daniels after becoming angry during a traffic encounter. Approximately six weeks later, he murdered Johnisha Williams, the mother of his child, and her siblings, Jordan Williams and Jamonica Williams. Lewis’ eight-year-old son was present during both incidents and ultimately supplied investigators with information connecting his father to all four deaths.
Confirmed Victims
- Deja Daniels, 24 — Shot on March 20, 2022, near the 7100 block of Welland Road in Jacksonville, Florida. Daniels was found critically wounded behind the wheel of her sport utility vehicle and died from her injuries several days later.
- Johnisha Williams, 34 — Shot and killed on April 29, 2022, inside an apartment at the River City Landing complex on University Boulevard in Jacksonville’s Arlington area.
- Jordan Thomas Williams, 30 — Shot and killed on April 29, 2022, inside the same River City Landing apartment. Jordan was Johnisha and Jamonica Williams’ brother.
- Jamonica Tiera Williams, 28 — Shot and killed on April 29, 2022, inside the River City Landing apartment. She was the sister of Johnisha and Jordan Williams.
The Road-Rage Murder of Deja Daniels
On March 20, 2022, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers were dispatched to Welland Road after receiving reports of a shooting. They discovered Deja Daniels seated behind the wheel of her SUV with multiple gunshot wounds to her head. Daniels remained alive when emergency personnel arrived and was transported to UF Health Jacksonville, but she died from her injuries several days afterward.
Surveillance recordings and witness accounts showed that Daniels’ vehicle had been followed closely by a small black sedan before the shooting. Investigators initially had little information identifying the driver of that vehicle. The case remained without a publicly named suspect until Lewis was arrested following the triple murder the next month.
Lewis’ son later told investigators that he had been riding with his father when Daniels’ vehicle cut them off in traffic. According to the child’s account, Lewis became angry, followed Daniels and fired into her vehicle. Detectives determined that Lewis was in the area at the time of the attack and developed additional evidence connecting him to the killing.
Daniels was the mother of an eight-year-old boy. Her father described her as a loving daughter and devoted family member. The seemingly minor traffic encounter that preceded her death made the crime particularly disturbing, as authorities found no prior relationship between Daniels and Lewis.
The River City Landing Triple Murder
On April 29, 2022, approximately six weeks after the attack on Daniels, police were sent to an apartment at the River City Landing complex on University Boulevard. A caller had reported hearing gunshots, screaming and a disturbance coming from a nearby residence.
Officers entering the apartment found one woman near the front door suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Two additional victims were discovered in separate rooms. All three were pronounced dead and identified as siblings Johnisha, Jordan and Jamonica Williams.
Johnisha Williams had been in a relationship with Lewis, and the couple shared an eight-year-old son. Family members described Johnisha, Jordan and Jamonica as exceptionally close siblings who spent much of their time together. Their mother later said that the three were nearly inseparable.
Evidence indicated that Lewis had argued with the victims before opening fire. Johnisha had previously sought legal protection from Lewis because of domestic violence concerns. Reports from the investigation described a troubled relationship marked by allegations of threats, intimidation and controlling behavior.
The Child Witness
Lewis’ eight-year-old son was inside the apartment when the three siblings were killed. The child told investigators that he was in the bathroom or shower area when he heard gunfire. Afterward, Lewis forced the boy to leave the apartment with him.
When police discovered the victims, neither Lewis nor the child was present. One of the victims’ vehicles was also missing. Authorities issued an Amber Alert because they believed the boy had been abducted from the scene and could be in immediate danger.
Investigators located Lewis near a bridge by Little Pottsburg Creek, south of the apartment complex. The missing vehicle was found nearby, and Lewis’ son was recovered unharmed. Lewis was taken into custody and held without bond.
During interviews, the child provided statements describing what had happened inside the apartment. He also revealed that he had been present when Lewis shot Deja Daniels during the earlier traffic confrontation. This information gave detectives an important connection between the apparently unrelated shootings.
Connecting Lewis to Four Murders
Investigators compared the child’s statements with surveillance recordings, witness testimony, telephone information and evidence collected from both crime scenes. The small black sedan associated with the Daniels shooting was connected to Lewis, and investigators established that he had been near Welland Road when Daniels was attacked.
On June 3, 2022, Lewis initially entered not-guilty pleas in connection with the murders of the Williams siblings. The following day, authorities announced that he had also been charged with the murder of Deja Daniels.
The discovery that Lewis had committed another seemingly unrelated killing before the apartment massacre transformed the investigation. What initially appeared to be an isolated act of domestic violence was revealed to be part of a broader pattern of escalating and unpredictable violence.
Guilty Pleas and Sentencing
On August 3, 2023, Lewis pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder for killing Johnisha, Jordan and Jamonica Williams. He also pleaded guilty to burglary of a structure or conveyance with assault or battery and to child abuse arising from the events surrounding the triple homicide.
Under the negotiated agreement, Lewis received a 50-year sentence in the Florida prison system. The sentence included a 50-year minimum mandatory term, requiring him to serve the entire sentence for the murders of the three siblings.
During the same hearing, Lewis separately pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing Deja Daniels. Because that plea was entered directly before the court rather than as part of the agreement covering the triple murder, the judge was responsible for determining the additional punishment.
In October 2023, Lewis was sentenced to life in prison for Daniels’ murder. The judge ordered the life sentence to begin only after Lewis completed the 50-year sentence imposed for the apartment killings. The consecutive sentences ensured that Lewis would remain imprisoned for the rest of his life.
Classification of the Crimes
Lewis murdered four people in two distinct incidents separated by approximately six weeks. The killing of Daniels was an apparently spontaneous road-rage attack, while the murders of the Williams siblings were connected to a domestic relationship and occurred during a single episode.
Traditional definitions of serial murder generally involve two or more separate events committed at different times. Under that broad definition, Lewis’ crimes may be discussed as serial killings. However, the triple murder was itself a mass killing, and the short interval between the two events has led some accounts to describe him more generally as a multiple murderer rather than a conventional serial killer.
Regardless of terminology, the crimes demonstrated that Lewis was capable of killing both a stranger and people he knew personally. His willingness to fire into Daniels’ vehicle over a traffic dispute and later murder three members of one family showed an extreme disregard for human life.
Impact and Legacy
The murders left two families grieving and forced a young child to live with the trauma of witnessing his father’s crimes. The Williams family lost three siblings during a single violent event, while Daniels’ young son was left without his mother.
Prosecutors worked with the Williams family when arranging the guilty plea, in part to prevent Lewis’ son from having to testify publicly during a murder trial. His statements had been critical to the investigation, but requiring the child to recount the violence in court could have caused additional emotional harm.
Lewis’ convictions brought the criminal cases to a conclusion, but the consequences of his actions continued far beyond the courtroom. Four people were dead, several children had lost parents or close relatives, and the surviving family members were left to rebuild their lives after two acts of sudden and devastating violence.
