JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend and her adult siblings and then kidnapping his son pleaded not guilty Friday to three counts of second-degree murder.
Police said Terrell Lewis, 37, killed three people at the River City Landing Apartments in Arlington in April and then took his 8-year-old son from the home, prompting an Amber Alert. Lewis and the boy were later found safe by authorities and Lewis was arrested.
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Relatives said the boy’s mother Johnisha Williams, her brother, 30-year-old Jordan Williams, and her sister, 28-year-old Jamonica Williams all died in the shooting.
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According to Lewis’ arrest report, the 8-year-old was in the shower when Lewis burst into the apartment and started shooting. The report says one of the siblings was shot near the entrance of the apartment and the other two were killed in other parts of the apartment.
The boy was eventually interviewed as a witness by the Child Protection Team. He said he heard the gunshots.
News4JAX spoke to Tina Penn, who is a cousin of the victims, about how she learned about what happened.
“My aunt, which is their mother, called and said she couldn’t get in contact with any of them and that there was a killing out here – that three people got killed in the apartments where they live and to go out there to find out what’s going on. That’s when I came out there to see what was happening, and it’s them,” said Penn.