Man who killed jogger after 'losing it' found guilty
A man is facing life in prison after being found guilty of murdering a woman who was out jogging.
Chanel Lewis was convicted of murder and sexual abuse in the death of Karina Vetrano, 30, in August 2016 as she was out jogging near her New York City home.
The trial previously ended in a hung jury in November but Lewis faces up to life in prison when he’s sentenced on April 17 following a retrial.
Phil Vetrano found his 30-year-old daughter’s body, sexually abused and strangled, in a park where they often went for runs together.
The attack heightened the wariness of women who run alone, and Lewis, 22, was arrested six months after the incident.
Mr Vetrano told reporters “justice has been served” and he felt “jubilation” after the conviction was handed down.
But Lewis’s lawyers, the Legal Aid Society, called the outcome “a complete miscarriage of justice”.
They had unsuccessfully sought a hearing Monday after getting an anonymous letter saying that police had pursued two white suspects before taking DNA samples from hundreds of black men — in what the defence called a “race-biased dragnet” — and coming to focus on Lewis.
“Our client did not receive a fair trial,” the Legal Aid Society said, adding that it would appeal.
The New York Police Department said in a statement that the anonymous letter was “riddled with falsehoods and inaccuracies”, the investigation was painstaking and “the evidence clearly shows that Chanel Lewis is responsible for her death”.
Lewis confesses on tape
Chief Queens Assistant District Attorney John Ryan called the case “horrifying”.
Authorities said his DNA was found on Ms Vetrano’s neck and phone and in a mixture of DNA under her fingernails.
His own phone contained downloaded photos of the crime scene and searches for information about the case, police said.
Lewis also taped a confession, saying he was upset at someone else — a neighbour of his who played loud music — and “lost it” when he saw Ms Vetrano.
“One thing led to another,” he said in the confession.
“Hitting her and stuff like that.”
Lewis said he strangled Ms Vetrano but didn’t sexually abuse her.
His defence said that the DNA evidence hadn’t been gathered properly and that the confession was coerced and didn’t match the victim’s injuries or some other facts.
with Associated Press
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