A jury unanimously convicted the man accused of kidnapping and killing Arkansas real estate agent Beverly Carter on Friday, drawing to close a case that has propelled safety to the forefront of the real estate industry.
The man, Arron Lewis, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the killing, as well as life in prison for the kidnapping, to be served consecutively. The verdict was delivered by a jury of nine women and three men.
“It was victorious for me,” said Carter’s widower, Carl Carter, Sr., in a segment on KATV in Little Rock, Ark. “I feel like it was for my son also, and my grandchildren—it was a victory for all of us.”
Lewis and his estranged wife, Crystal Lowery, contacted Carter in September 2014 to request a showing at a home in Scott, Ark. Carter was abducted the day of the showing as part of a ransom plot. Four days later, her body was found buried in a shallow grave outside of a concrete plant in Cabot, Ark.
Court proceedings on Friday revealed Carter’s death was due to suffocation caused by duct tape. Defense attorneys maintained Carter was smothered during a consensual sex act and died accidentally. Lowery, who last year was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping and first-degree murder, testified on behalf of the prosecution that Carter’s death was not accidental.
At the time of Lewis’ arrest, he told reporters he targeted Carter “because she was just a woman that worked alone—a rich broker.”
Related: How Do You Stay Safe?
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