Trial starts for man accused in Riverwoods teen's slaying
Jurors heard opening statements Tuesday from attorneys on both sides in the trial of a man accused of killing a Riverwoods teenager over a marijuana deal that went bad in 2010.
Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Matthew DeMartini described James E. Lewis as a “bomb” ready to explode the day he killed John Herres, 19.
But public defense attorney Christopher Lombardo told jurors in Circuit Judge George Bridges' courtroom that placing the events in proper context and witness credibility will be key when they decide whether his client committed first-degree murder.
Lewis, 43, formerly of the 26900 block of Route 134 in unincorporated Ingleside, could spend up to 60 years behind bars if convicted of slaying Herres.
DeMartini said Lewis agreed to purchase a quarter-ounce of marijuana for a group of teenage boys at his home on Feb. 14, 2010. After suspicion arose about whether Lewis kept some for himself, DeMartini said, the suspect's girlfriend — the mother of one of the teens — grabbed a cigarette pack from him and stated she saw pot inside of it.
Lewis, who had been drinking beer from morning until the early-afternoon dispute, started arguing with the woman when Herres intervened, prosecutors said. DeMartini said Lewis pulled a 5-inch knife from his belt and plunged it into the unarmed Herres' abdomen.
“He was a bomb ready to go off,” DeMartini told the jury. “And you're going to hear that.”
DeMartini said the prosecution plans to call five witnesses who watched Lewis stab Herres.
Lombardo countered in his opening statement that Lewis' girlfriend called her son the evening of Feb. 13, 2010 to claim he was abusive toward her. Lombardo said the son brought his friends to the Ingleside home, but Lewis was passed out when they arrived and they stayed overnight.
All of the teens were present when Lewis resumed drinking beer in the morning, according to Lombardo. After the teenagers asked Lewis to buy the marijuana for them, Lombardo said, he and his girlfriend agreed to keep some for themselves.
“She accused him, (saying) ‘How can you steal from my son?'” Lombardo said.
Lombardo said Lewis then had to face five volatile teenagers in his living room confronting him about not receiving enough pot for their money. Lombardo told the jury the evidence will show Lewis' reaction toward Herres didn't rise to first-degree murder.
“Mr. Lewis, in his mind, understood he was about to be jumped,” Lombardo said.
Lewis has been in Lake County jail on a $3 million bond since February 2010.