It is said that the wheels of justice turn slowly, and nothing is more accurate than that as resolution for the Terry Lewis family is still pending.
On January 17, 2019, Terry Lewis was allegedly set on fire by her husband, Craig Lewis.
Lewis was originally denied bond Friday Jan. 18, 2019, after being charged with attempted murder, aggravated domestic violence, arson, and assaulting a law enforcement officer while resisting arrest.
The victim suffered burns over 50 percent of her body in the incident.
The fire originally was reported as an accident, deputies said, but investigators they found evidence it was intentional.
The victim was taken to a burn center in Atlanta for treatment where she eventually died in November 2019.
In February 2020, Lewis was charged with murder, and despite initially being denied bond in January 2019, Judge Carmen Mullen set bond at $100,000. Lewis was released on bond but was under house arrest, being required to wear an ankle monitor while continuing to work at his job.
On Thursday May 28, Lewis was arraigned, but with the same stipulations regarding house arrest and continuing to wear an ankle monitor.
At this time, he is still out on bond. Feeling betrayed and at a loss, Terry’s family questions why?
According to Cameron Brown, a public defender in Volusia County, Fla., this is not unusual for South Carolina.
“South Carolina is a bond state,” said Brown. “That means that bond is set on almost everyone. If this same incident had happened in Florida, Mr. Lewis would definitely be in jail until trial. But South Carolina laws are different, and that can be good, or in a situation like this, bad.”
Jeff Kidd of the 14th Judicial Circuit Court agrees with Brown. “We have to follow the letter of the law. This is especially important if we want to make a good case,” said Kidd. “We have to be careful and diligent, so that when the trial time comes, we are ready and prepared.”
According to Kidd, when the charges changed from attempted murder to murder, the entire process changed. It was almost like starting the investigation over from the very beginning.
“We would not be serving the Terry Lewis family properly, nor the citizens of Colleton, if we left any stone unturned,” said Kidd. “We are starting the investigation from scratch and plan to build an excellent case.”
Another issue facing the 14th Judicial Circuit are the effects of COVID-19. Trials and cases previously set prior to the pandemic will be reset, but as of now, no trials are being held at all. After trials resume, there will be a backlog of cases that need to be resolved.
“If there is one thing the Terry Lewis’s family can rely on is that we are working on this and will not stop,” said Kidd.
“The citizens of Colleton need to understand that it may take several years for this case to be brought to trial and resolution; the legal system requires a lot of paperwork, investigation and research, but it will come,” said Brown. “The only way to improve the court system is to make changes to the laws of South Carolina. Every citizen can have a hand in that by contacting lawmakers and exercising their right to vote.”
