Contact the Newport News Police Department at 757-928-4245 with any information.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – Adrian Lewis has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife Shanita Eure-Lewis, Newport News police confirmed Tuesday. The 35-year-old was reported missing by his family on Sunday.
The criminal complaint in this case outlines a detailed timeline of this case, prior to the arrest of Mr. Lewis. Click here for updated information on this research.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew held a press conference Tuesday at 2 p.m. with updates on this investigation. The full briefing is posted above.
Chief Drew confirmed Tuesday that evidence recovered in this case led them to obtain warrants for Mr. Lewis. He was arrested at Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County, Virginia, early Tuesday morning around 3 am. I had a plane ticket bound for Jamaica. In addition to the murder charge, Lewis was also charged with use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Chief Drew said there is a team searching for Ms Eure-Lewis’ body. He said there are a couple of key places they’re looking at, but they’re not releasing more information to the public so as not to impede evidence.
“My heart goes out to Ms. Eure’s family, especially her children, as well as the community of Gethsemane Baptist Church,” said Police Chief Steve Drew. “We are doing everything we can to find her and bring closure to her loved ones.”
WAVY’s Andy Fox asked if Adrian Lewis has confessed. Chief Drew said he “has made no admissions.”
Eure-Lewis was last seen around 9 a.m. Sunday at Gethsemane Baptist Church between church services.
Virginia State Police issued an Ashanti Alert Monday to help spread the word beyond Hampton Roads, believing it was possibly endangered.
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Eure-Lewis’ neighbor, who did not want to be identified, told WAVY he saw her leave in her husband’s black truck around 9 a.m. Sunday. Police confirmed on Tuesday that she was indeed seen leaving her home with her husband around 9:40 a.m. on Sunday.
“She got down and got in the car with him. They were talking to me normally. They weren’t arguing then,” he said.
Neighbor Eure-Lewis said her normal routine at church was to bring her two boys.
“She goes out most of the time, she goes to church, the boys go with her, but he doesn’t,” she said.
The neighbor told 10 Next to you this time, she went with her husband. He said he did not see the children get into the truck.
A member of the church community who asked not to be identified said Eure-Lewis works regularly at church services throughout the week and only planned a birthday commemoration for Pastor Dwight Riddick.
NNPD Chief Drew said the truck Shanita was last seen in was located in Hampton Monday afternoon. He was prosecuted and evidence was recovered, he said.
The Newport News Police Department served a search warrant around 5 p.m. Monday. The forensics team came in with brown paper bags and towed two cars off the road.
“We’re going to leave no stone unturned. I want to make sure there’s nothing inside this house,” he said.
The case went to a homicide investigation based on all the evidence that was recovered.
Shanita Mikell Eure-Lewis, July 18, 2022 (Courtesy – WAVY Viewer)
Shanita Mikell Eure-Lewis, July 18, 2022 (Courtesy – WAVY Viewer)
Shanita Mikell Eure-Lewis, July 18, 2022 (Courtesy – WAVY Viewer)
On Monday, WAVY reached out to state police to clarify conflicting information from law enforcement. As a result, VSP issued several corrections to its original news release.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Newport News Police Department at 757-928-4245.
NNPD was at a meeting at Gethsemane Baptist Church at 5pm on Monday, where fliers were handed out looking for Eure-Lewis.
