Blundering Soros-backed Philly DA let suspected murderer walk free in 2023… now he’s accused of killing a police officer
Developed over time first seen 1 day ago
Eric Lewis, 35, is accused of killing Philadelphia police officer Shane Seiber and shooting Seiber’s partner, who is in stable condition. The case has renewed scrutiny of the 2023 trial in which Lewis was acquitted of Christopher Williams’s 2019 murder after prosecutors failed to present evidence that may have been significant.
Williams’s mother said Lewis shot her son after an argument in a driveway. A witness who was in the Jeep identified Lewis, while a police officer who reportedly identified him did not testify; prosecutors also presented video of a car linked to the shooting but did not present Lewis’s mobile-phone location records. The trial judge found the prosecution had not proved its case and later raised concerns about the investigation. District Attorney Larry Krasner says his office will bring dozens of charges in the officer’s death and review the earlier investigation and prosecution.
- Lewis is accused of killing Officer Shane Seiber.
- He was acquitted of Christopher Williams’s murder in 2023.
- Prosecutors say they will review the earlier case.
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Philadelphia’s district attorney prosecutes criminal cases, while a judge or jury decides whether the evidence proves a defendant’s guilt. Eric Lewis was tried over the 2019 shooting death of Christopher Williams; prosecutors presented a witness identification and video of a car linked to the shooting, but not records showing where Lewis’s phone had been.
The judge acquitted Lewis, ruling that the prosecution had not proved the case. That earlier trial is now part of the public discussion because Lewis is accused in a separate shooting involving Philadelphia police officers. An accusation is not a finding of guilt, and the new case must be decided on its own evidence.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Critics argue that prosecutors’ failure to present potentially important phone-location records in the 2019 murder trial may have weakened the case and left a dangerous person at large. The later accusations make it reasonable to scrutinise whether the prosecution handled the evidence competently and whether avoidable errors undermined public safety and trust in the justice system.
The case against
An acquittal must be judged by the evidence properly presented at trial, and the judge concluded the prosecution had not proved Lewis’s guilt; a witness identification and video of a vehicle linked to the shooting did not, on their own, establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Prosecutors cannot secure a conviction by withholding the burden of proof, and the later accusation does not show that Lewis committed the earlier murder or that the acquittal was wrongful.