The trial for Arron Lewis, the man who stands accused of abducting and killing Arkansas Realtor Beverly Carter in 2014, is set to begin shortly after the first of the year.
As the pre-trial portion of Lewis’ prosecution comes closer to ending, Lewis and his attorney are pushing to have several pieces of evidence tossed out. Lewis also recently changed his plea, dropping the mental disease portion of his not-guilty plea, according to a new report from THV11.com.
It is unclear from the report what impact, if any, these moves will have on the trial.
Lewis was already successful in getting several interviews conducted with police after Carter’s disappearance ruled inadmissible, due to the fact that the interviews were conducted without the presence of an attorney, despite Lewis asking for one.
In some of those interviews, which were presented as part of pre-trial proceedings and recapped in detail on Arkansas Online, Lewis selected Carter from an Internet ad, based on the fact that she worked alone.
Upon meeting Carter at a house under the guise of being a potential buyer, Lewis allegedly told Carter "You're about to have a very bad day," before subduing her and binding her with green duct tape.
During questioning, Lewis repeatedly told detectives time was running out for the kidnapped Realtor.
"Are you guaranteeing me this woman's alive?" asked sheriff’s Investigator Jeff Allison, according to the now-inadmissible interview transcripts.
"Depending on how long it takes," Lewis said. "How long can a person survive without food and water since yesterday? You'll figure it out."
According to the new THV11.com report, Lewis’ defense is also objecting to using affidavits, text messages, and other evidence at the trial.
Here, from THV11.com, is the full list of the evidence that Lewis wants tossed out:
- Affidavit of Arron Lewis
- Text messages allegedly sent by Lewis
- Text messages allegedly sent by Crystal Lowery, Lewis' wife
- Emails allegedly sent by Lewis
- Google records for a certain account
- Textme records
- Medical examiner photos
