Murder of popular jazz musician Donald Lewis by Jason Small investigated on The Murder Tapes

The Murder Tapes travels to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to investigate the murder of a beloved member of the community, jazz musician Donald Lewis, who was shot dead in his own cafe by employee Jason Small.

In October 2016, the boss of the Young Urban Jazz Cafe, Donald Lewis, in Milwaukee was reported missing. Donald had last been seen alive at the cafe with his employee, Jason Small, who had also mysteriously disappeared.

The investigation quickly turned into a homicide case when Donald was found dead hidden in the basement of his jazz club; he had been shot three times. Donald’s body had been placed underneath some boxes in a walled-off room. There was still no sign of Small.

The police focused their attention on locating the employee, and their efforts finally paid off when he was discovered at a house approximately ten blocks from the cafe. At the home was a plethora of evidence against Small, certainly more than enough to charge him with the murder.

All the evidence pointed to Jason Small as the killer

Along with Small, the cops found plastic gloves with blood on them and paperwork belonging to Donald. They also located a security camera system from the jazz cafe that Small had just casually dumped in a garbage can.

The surveillance footage showed the killer removing an object from under the cafe counter in the spot where Donald kept his firearm and then showed him following his boss into the kitchen area.

Whereas the camera no longer saw Donald, Small can be seen moving back and forth from the kitchen to the basement. He can also be seen removing cash from the till.

Small was subsequently found guilty of first-degree murder, and in 2018 he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

More from The Murder Tapes

Follow the links to read about more dreadful crimes profiled on The Murder Tapes.

Robert Marzejka attacked his sister Danielle Marzejka and her boyfriend Seren Byran with a hammer as they slept in their bed in Clinton, Michigan. He then suffocated them to death before hiding their bodies in a shed and fleeing the state.

Previously on The Murder Tapes, transgender woman Ty Underwood was shot dead by her Texas college football player boyfriend, Carlton Ray Champion Jr. The pair had argued angrily as their relationship fell apart one night. Underwood tried to escape after being shot by driving away, but she succumbed to her injuries.

The Murder Tapes airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.