GUILTY VA - Shanita Eure-Lewis, 35, *Ashanti Alert*, Gethsemane Baptist Church, still missing, 16 July 2022 *husband arrest*

DNA Solves
DNA Solves
DNA Solves
Adrian Lewis, Shanita Eure-Lewis’s husband, was arrested two days later at Washington Dulles International Airport after trying to board a flight to Jamaica. In addition to murder, he’s been charged with fuse of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was extradited to Virginia this week, WVEC reported.

Eure-Lewis left Gethsemane Baptist Church at about 9 a.m. on July 17, saying she was going to pick up her sons from her sister’s home and bring them back for the next service. A criminal complaint against her husband says her children reported seeing her arguing with Lewis outside the sister’s home that morning before she got into his truck and left with him.

According to the complaint, Lewis called his wife’s sister at about 9:40 a.m. and told her that Eure-Lewis was having an affair. A little over two hours later, he called back and said she had “jumped out of his truck” and asked if the sister had heard from her.

The sister texted with Eure-Lewis, but the affidavit says that Lewis told someone that he had his wife’s cell phone and pretended to be her during the conversation.

At about 1:30 p.m., Lewis came back to his wife’s sister’s to pick up the children. Later, the sister told police, she saw Lewis’s truck parked near a garbage bin and watched as he put items into it.

When police investigated, they found a shovel with dirt on it and Eure-Lewis’s purse and sandals.

“Her purse was recovered, pair of shoes, sandals. I believe they were indicated by family members that it was hers. There was some type of cloth or blanket if you will, and there was a shovel that was also recovered,” said Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew.

The affidavit also revealed that Lewis had asked a car detailer to clean his truck, and that the detailer told police he saw what appeared to be blood on the front seat. When asked about it, Lewis said it was from his dog, who had been shot by a neighbor. Police said Lewis had two dogs, neither of which had been shot.

Forensics investigators found evidence of blood on the front passenger seat, and a cadaver dog alerted to that seat.
 
August 16, 2022
SBM

“I still get briefings a couple of times a week on that case," Chief Drew said. "We’re certainly making progress. Very much though, it’s in the back of my head daily.” [snip] “The information we have from the detectives, from technology, I don’t have a large area to search," Chief Drew explained. "We’ve been able to locate some very specific locations to search at this point. And that’s where we’ve sent our forensic teams to process.”
 
SEP 26, 2022
[...]

Eure’s body has yet to be found, but Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said during a July news conference that investigators located evidence — including blood and a bullet casing — leading them to believe she is dead. Lewis, 49, was charged with first-degree murder July 19.

[...]

Slabinski’s WATER Team Inc. has assisted in the search for Eure, combing a remote wooded area in Newport News. WATER, he said, is a small nonprofit with limited resources, so they have not yet launched a search for Allen, but added “we always look for anyone who may be in our search area.”

[...]
 
Oct 30, 2022
*Video at link*
SBM

Members of W.A.T.E.R. Team Inc. were out in York County Sunday looking for missing Hampton toddler Codi Bigsby and missing Newport News woman Shanita Eure-Lewis. Searchers...[snip]...looked around Crawford Road. [snip] "Right now, we're kind of hunting information. We've put out requests to all of the families if there's anything they can aid us with that might give us a different place to search or maybe a better piece of ground to search."
 
Shanitia Mikell Eure, 35, of Newport News, was reported missing by family Sunday, July 17, 2022.

Lewis called Davis, his paramour, that afternoon, too.

“I did it,” he told her, according to Davis’ testimony.

“You did what?” she replied.

“Nothing,” he said, laughing. “I’m just playing.”

Court documents say police found blood in Lewis’ truck, and also found a spent cartridge casing on the vehicle. Video footage and city cameras also tracked the vehicle around the city.

Newport News Police Detective Mike Scrimgeour drove up to D.C. to meet Homeland Security agents and Lewis at the Dulles Airport. Lewis told the detective that his wife’s cheating caused him to ask for a break.

“I’m trying to clear my head,” Lewis said. He was charged with first-degree murder the next day, and has remained locked up ever since.
 

NEWPORT NEWS — A Newport News jury on Thursday convicted a man of first-degree murder in the killing of his wife 14 months ago even though her body hasn’t been found.

*********
 

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A man who was found guilty of the first-degree murder of his wife in Newport News was sentenced to life in prison Friday.

At the sentencing hearing, Adrian Lewis was also ordered to have no contact with his children until they're 18 and then no uninvited contact after that. He's also ordered to have no contact with family and friends who spoke on the stand.
 

Last updated July 23, 2024; picture added, details of disappearance updated.

  • eure_shanitia9.jpg
  • eure_shanitia_husband.jpg
Shanitia, circa 2022; Adrian Lewis
…..
Adrian was charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony in Shanitia's disappearance. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. In September 2023, after one hour's deliberation by the jury, he was convicted of first-degree murder, but acquitted of the firearm charge as, without Shanitia's body, the cause of death could not be determined.

In January 2024, he was sentenced to life in prison. He was also ordered to have no contact with his children until their 18th birthdays, and no uninvited contact with them ever.

Shanitia had been married for about 17 years by the time of her disappearance, and is the mother of two teenage sons. Foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.
 

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
138
Guests online
2,226
Total visitors
2,364

Forum statistics

Threads
600,458
Messages
18,109,020
Members
230,991
Latest member
Clue Keeper
Back
Top