Eric Lewis, the man accused of killing a Philadelphia police officer in an ambush, was acquitted of murder in 2019 in a case the district attorney says was undermined by police misconduct.
Lewis, 35, is accused of fatally shooting Philadelphia Police Officer Shane Seiber and wounding his partner. He now faces a range of charges, among them murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, 10 counts of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, terroristic threats and other related offenses. He
In a video statement Tuesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Lewis was acquitted in an earlier murder case and blamed police misconduct for the outcome.
“Why this man was out of custody? The answer is this, this man is out of custody because a balanced, good and fair judge did what he had to do because two absolutely excellent prosecutors did everything humanly possible with a case and an investigation that was so deeply flawed. It was not just full of errors and mistakes, very serious ones, But some of the conduct involving one police officer… And one detective is arguably criminal. Yes, I said criminal,” Krasner said.
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Krasner said the police officer involved in the case was in a relationship with the sister of the defendant and tried to “torpedo” his testimony “by making up a complete lie.”
Krasner said an officer in Lewis’ earlier murder case invented a story that he had received an anonymous tip naming a person called “Spice” as the real killer. Krasner said no such person exists.
“This is beyond outrageous. This is giving false information to law enforcement. It’s not the only thing he did to try to get out of participating in the case. It’s obstruction of the administration of justice. And it is frankly, well, outrageous, despicable and tragic all at the same time,” Krasner said.
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He said the judge notified police internal affairs of the incident, then said “We need to be clear about what is actually happening here.” Krasner said one police officer was fired and one was disciplined, but says he doesn’t have further information.
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In a statement to Fox News, the Philadelphia Police Department said “Assigning blame while families are grieving does nothing to advance accountability or support those affected.”
“True leadership does not seek to assign fault in a moment like this. It stands with the families. And when the time comes, it holds itself to the same scrutiny it asks of others,” the police department said.
Court records show that Lewis, an employee of the Philadelphia Water Department, has a criminal history that dates back to 2012.
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A 2012 conviction for theft and receiving stolen property marked the start of Lewis’ criminal record. The following year, he was convicted of gun-related offenses and simple assault, for which he received probation.
In 2018, Lewis entered a guilty plea to disorderly conduct involving fighting and was again sentenced to probation.
Seiber, 40, was an Air Force veteran and father of two who spent 10 years serving with the Philadelphia Police Department. He leaves behind his wife, a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.
Fox News’ CB Cotton, Maria Paronich and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
