Henry Lewis, 15, Charged In Murder Of South Florida Real Estate Agent Stefano Barbosa
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) - A 15-year-old with a criminal history has been charged with the murder of real estate agent Stefano Barbosa.
Henry Lewis, who was already in custody on an unrelated case, was arrested Friday and charged as an adult with second-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
On February 1st, Barbosa was in the 600 block of NW 15th Terrace to obtain signatures from tenants of a quadruplex. After getting them, he was standing next to his car when a teen, later identified as Lewis, approached him with a gun, according to the arrest affidavit.
In surveillance video, Barbosa can be seen tossing the clipboard to the side and raising his hands. The two walked to the back of the building for a few seconds and then walked back to the car. Barbosa got in the driver's seat and Lewis got into the front passenger seat, according to the affidavit.
They then drove to a Bank of America at 570 NW 6th Street where Barbosa made two $500 withdrawals, according to the arrest affidavit.
The two then drove off and that's when Lewis reportedly shot him in the chest.
Barbosa continued driving and crashed into a chain-link fence and a palm tree in front of a home at 500 NW 19th Avenue. The homeowner, hearing the crash, called 911.
Lewis then got out of the car and ran eastbound on NW 5th Street. Surveillance video from the area shows him walking down several streets in the area, then ducking through a hole in a fence as he made his way back to the area where he abducted Barbosa, according to the arrest affidavit.
When police arrived at the crash site, they found Barbosa unresponsive in the driver's seat. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
According to police, they showed the surveillance video of the abduction to confidential informants from the area who identified the person who took Barbosa as Lewis.
A background check revealed he attended Cross Creek School in Pompano Beach. The school is for children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders. Two staff members and a school employee also identified Lewis as being the person in the video, according to the affidavit.
According to police, cellphone records showed Lewis was in the area of the abduction, at the bank, and at the crash site on the day and time of the kidnapping, robbery, and crash.
Additionally, in the internet search history on the phone, investigators found an entry that read "Man shot multiple times crashes car into front yard of Fort Lauderdale home before dying," according to the affidavit. The search was made the day after Barbosa was killed.
Criminal records show Lewis has been arrested a number of times in the past, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Charges included battery on a person 65 or older, battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated battery on a school employee, and threatening a public servant or family.
The teen now faces life in prison if convicted of murder.