A teen was charged as an adult in the killing of a real estate agent. NBC 6’s Kim Wynne reports
A 15-year-old forced a real estate agent to drive to an ATM to take out $1,000 at gunpoint before the teen fatally shot the man inside a car in Fort Lauderdale last month, police said.
Henry Lee Lewis III was arrested Friday on charges including second-degree murder and armed robbery, Broward County jail records showed.
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According to an arrest report, the incident unfolded the afternoon of Feb. 1, when police responded to a call of a crash at 500 Northwest 19th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
The homeowner had called 911 after hearing the crash and discovering that a car had run over the chain link fence in his front yard and hit a palm tree.
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When officers arrived, they found the victim unresponsive in the driver's seat.
The victim, later identified as 37-year-old Stefano Barbosa, had been shot in the chest and had his wallet next to him with his Bank of America debit card sticking out, the report said.
The medical examiner later determined that the shooter had been in the passenger seat of the car, the report said.
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Investigators discovered Barbosa was a real estate agent and had been at a quadriplex on Northwest 15th Terrace to have tenants sign some documents that day.
Surveillance footage obtained by detectives showed Barbosa arriving at the quadriplex and being approached by a male suspect dressed in black who was wearing a ski cap, the report said.
The footage showed Barbosa putting his hands in the air and being escorted to his car by the suspect, who got in the passenger seat as the car drove away, the report said.
Bank records showed that the victim made two $500 ATM withdrawals at a bank on Northwest 6th Street a short time later, and surveillance footage from the bank showed the victim at the ATM accompanied by the masked suspect, the report said.
More surveillance from the scene of the crash showed the suspect getting out of the passenger seat of Barbosa's car and fleeing the scene, the report said.
Detectives met with confidential informants who viewed the surveillance footage and were able to identify the suspect as the teen, who attends Cross Creek School in Pompano Beach, the report said.
Multiple school staffers also identified the suspect in the footage as the teen, the report said.
The teen was arrested on Feb. 4 on unrelated charges, including multiple burglaries, resisting arrest, and battery on law enforcement officer, the report said.
When detectives searched his cellphone, it gave locations near where the victim was abducted, the bank and the car crash site the day of the crime, the report said.
The teen's internet search history showed he had viewed a story about the crime the day after the incident, the report said.
The teen remained held without bond Tuesday, and he is being charged as adult, officials said.
Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor released a statement Tuesday on why his office is charging the teen as an adult.
"These types of decisions are very difficult to make but I believe this is the correct decision in this case and in these circumstances. This young person’s issues are so significant that they require treatment, help and services beyond what the juvenile justice system can provide at this time," Pryor said. "If this case were to be handled as a juvenile matter, he would have to be released from the juvenile justice system at age 18. The maximum term of residential treatment available in the juvenile justice system is 36 months prior to release. Any juvenile charge would mean that the person would be released after three years in the system and could only be kept under supervision in the community until age 21."
