Dexter Lewis, 25, was convicted in August on five counts of murder for the October 2012 stabbings, but his jury didn’t reach a unanimous decision on whether to sentence him to death. Lewis stabbed Tereasa Beesley, 45; Kellene Fallon, 44; Dasha Pohl, 21; Ross Richter, 29; and Young Fero, 63, owner of Fero’s Bar & Grill, while they were being held at gunpoint, prosecutors said.
Brothers Joseph and Lynell Hill, who planned the robberies, already pleaded guilty to murder and received lengthy sentences. The fourth man, Demarea Harris, was a confidential informant at the time for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and reported the slayings to authorities; he was not charged in the case.
Before the mass killings, Lewis had been incarcerated for felony menacing and attempted robbery, Lewis’ parole officer, James Bertolas, confirmed for the court.
Relatives of Lewis’ victims had a chance to tell the judge about the crime’s impact on their lives.
“I cannot tell you how difficult it is for me to share what I lost by losing my friend, Kellene Francis Fallon, three years ago,” Karis Holman testified. “I had known Kelly 28 years. I met her when she was 17 years old. She just was the most beautiful person, had such a bright sparkle and excitement about life.”
Holman went on to talk about how Fallon always had a smile on her face despite the difficult life the stabbing victim had faced previously. Fallon liked to cook and clean and “really wanted to care for you,” Holman said.
“She didn’t want anybody to ever feel (rejection) from her,” Holman said. “While I knew her, she had seven different proposals. We bought three wedding dresses that didn’t get used, but she maintained friendships with all those people.”