Count the Bodies on ID is investigating the shocking crimes of William Charles Lewis, who went on a murder spree in East Point, Georgia, in 2001, killing two people and injuring another two.
Lewis’s shooting rampage began on February 28 and ended on April 24, 2001; he started by killing his wife’s best friend, Cynthia Rolle. He then shot two random strangers, Roger Orr and Antonio Stepney, before turning the gun on his wife, Rosa Lewis.
Lewis had been married to Rosa Lewis for 23 years before she called a halt to the marriage, and rather than move on with his life, he seems to have been consumed with murderous rage.
The twisted killer decided to kill Cynthia Rolle, his wife’s friend, so as to cause his wife pain. He then shot two strangers, Orr and Stepney, as part of a ruse to deflect the police’s attention away from him. Orr survived the shooting, but Stepney paid with his life. He then targeted his wife, Rosa.
William Lewis tried to trick cops into thinking murders were random
Lewis wanted the police to believe that there was a serial killer at work who was choosing people at random. At, or near, each murder scene, he left a note with “Jack” written on the back with a highlighter pen.
On February 28, Rolle pulled into her drive and was shot four times with a .40-caliber handgun. Tragically, she was hit in the heart and passed away.
A couple of months passed before Lewis struck again; on April 8, he shot Orr as he stood by his front door, and a few days later, he gunned down Stepney, who had stopped his car at an intersection.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelOn April 24, Lewis went to his wife’s apartment and shot her four times after she’d pulled into the drive. Luckily, Rosa Lewis was able to stumble inside, where her roommate raised the alarm.
When the police went to Lewis’s home to inform him that his ex-wife had been shot, they noticed he had a highlighter pen in his possession.
However, the killer’s real downfall came about when he sent Rosa a letter admitting that he had killed Rolle just to hurt her. His wife recognized his handwriting. The cops then ran a DNA test on the saliva used to seal the envelope and found it matched Lewis.
William Lewis pleaded guilty to murder and was sent to prison for the rest of his life.
More from Investigation Discovery
Follow the links to read about more crimes profiled on ID.
Monique Lee resorted to murder when her landlord, Karen Jenkins, attempted to evict her for stealing from her friend and refusing to pay rent. Lee recruited her brother Gary Lee to help lure Jenkins to her death.
Chase Merritt butchered the McStay family, including their two young children, and buried them in a shallow grave in the Californian desert. His motive was greed and a severe gambling problem.
Count the Bodies airs Friday at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery.