Slain Naperville Woman's Brother Charged With Murder
JOLIET, Ill. (STMW) -- A man who disappeared after the beating death of his sister in Naperville was charged Monday with four counts of murder, one count of home invasion and one count of burglary.
A Will County judge set bail for 51-year-old Mark R. Lewis at $1.5 million, according to Will County State's Attorney's spokesman Chuck Pelkie. Prosecutors accuse Lewis of killing his sister, 59-year-old Cathleen Lewis, on June 6 by striking her in the head with a blunt object after entering her Naperville home.
He's expected back in court Dec. 19.
Cathleen Lewis' body was found two days later inside her townhome on the 2300 block of Worthing Drive, near the Old Farm neighborhood on the city's far south side. The siblings' mother also lived in the townhome.
Lewis, of northwest suburban Lakemoor, also faces a felony identity theft charge for "fraudulently obtaining more than $2,000" by cashing checks he allegedly took from his mother's account without her permission, Pelkie has said.
Lewis was taken into custody July 14 in the parking lot of a CVS/pharmacy in Pensacola, Fla.
Deputy sheriffs found him at the wheel of his green, 1999 Ford Explorer, after two store employees noted he had been sitting motionless in the vehicle for almost five hours.
He had originally been scheduled to appear Oct. 7 in an Escambia County, Fla., courtroom on an out-of-state fugitive warrant. Naperville police Sgt. Gregg Bell said Glasgow's office, in the interim, obtained a governor's warrant securing Lewis' extradition to Illinois.
Detectives traveled to Florida in July to speak with Lewis in the Escambia County Jail. They also confiscated and returned home with the Explorer, which has since been searched for potential evidence at a location in Will County.
Lewis apparently did not use any bank debit or credit cards or leave any sort of paper trail after the discovery of his sister's body.
Relatives and friends told police they did not see or hear from him after the slaying.
There was no sign of forced entry into Cathleen Lewis' home. Police believe she knew her killer and willingly let him or her inside the townhome.
Examiners from the Will County coroner's office concluded Cathleen Lewis died of "cranial cerebral injuries due to blunt head trauma."
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
