Two arrested in cold homicide case

Two suspects have been arrested by Spokane Police and charged with a previously unsolved, gang-related homicide from 1998.

Lewis Gray III, 35, was taken into custody Thursday in Los Angeles by Spokane Police Detective Minde Connelly and will soon be extradited back to Spokane to face a charge of first-degree murder, Deputy Chief Al Odenthal said.

At the same time Thursday, Spokane Police Detective Terry Ferguson arrested Maggie S. Fletcher-Lewis, 44, in Spokane on the charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Both arrests were made in connection with the Jan. 14, 1998, shooting death of 19-year-old Curtis Ricky Jones, who was a drug-dealing gang member from Tacoma who used the street name “Little Slayer,” according to court records.

Witnesses said a gunman, later identified as Gray, shot 14 times at Jones as he ran from his apartment at 2527 E. Pacific Ave. Jones tried to hide between two cars, but the gunman chased him down and shot him once in the back. The bullet passed through his heart, according to court records.

“This offense was during a period of time when we were experiencing a lot of gang violence,” Odenthal said.

The case originally was investigated by Detective Richard Losh, who has since retired. Detectives Connelly and Ferguson recently took a fresh look at the case, but Odenthal wouldn’t say what finally broke the case.

“In many of these cold cases, relationships change,” he said. “That can be advantageous.”

Odenthal explained that couples break up, friendships end and sometimes witnesses become more willing to talk about a case.

According to court documents, trouble started between the victim, Jones, and Fletcher-Lewis after she accused Jones of assaulting her daughter while he was stealing crack cocaine from her.

Witness Ronnie Lacy told a detective that a couple of days prior to the shooting he was with Jones and overheard a telephone conversation between him and Fletcher-Lewis, who was yelling so loudly that Lacy could hear what she said.

“Maggie Fletcher-Lewis was making statements about coming down there. She said she was coming for Jones and there was going to be gun play,” Lacy said. “Jones screamed back at Maggie Fletcher-Lewis telling her that her daughter should give him more respect.”

On Jan. 12, 1998, Ronnie Lacy said he and his twin brother, Lonnie, went with Fletcher-Lewis – who sold drugs to their mother. Fletcher-Lewis told the twins to show her where Curtis Jones lived. An unidentified black man went with them. He was carrying a handgun equipped with a laser sight.

The Lacy brothers, Fletcher-Lewis and the gunman went to Jones’ apartment, but a woman who answered the door said Jones wasn’t home. Ronnie Lacy said he later learned that the gunman was “Gator” or Lewis Gray, according to court records.

Witness Rasheed Tucker told Detective Losh that he had known Jones for eight or nine years prior to his death and that the gun Losh was looking for was a 9 mm pistol with a laser sight. “Tucker stated that he knew this because Tucker’s father, Curtis Tucker, had sold the gun to Maggie Fletcher-Lewis,” according to court records.

Adrian D. Waller, of Tacoma, was with Jones the night he was shot. He said that he spoke to Rasheed Tucker the day before the shooting, and Tucker said that “Little Gator” was looking for Jones. Tucker said: “The gun has a beam, and he is going to smoke your ass,” Waller told police.

On Jan. 14, 1998, Waller and Jones were walking out of their apartment when they were confronted by a gunman. Waller said he looked down and said he saw a “red laser dot” on his chest. Waller ran, but he heard several shots coming from the apartment complex.

Detectives later showed Waller a photo montage, and Waller picked out Gray as the shooter, according to court records.