Man Found Guilty in Killing of Lenny Harris

Tyrone Lewis was convicted of first-degree murder Tuesday in the 2011 shooting of Alexandria community activist Lenny Harris.

Prosecutors said Lewis and two other men mistakenly thought Harris, a Del Ray resident, was a wealthy man.

According to testimony, the three men kidnapped Harris and later shot him in the back of the head as he begged for his life.

Lewis' co-defendant, Linwood Johnson, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon and related charges and is scheduled to be sentenced in October.

Johnson testified that Lewis decided to rob Harris because he needed bail money for a friend, according to The Washington Post. Johnson said that Harris, who had his own pest-control business and a T-shirt company named “Mycha” after his daughter, was able to produce only $50 when he was abducted.

Frustrated with the way things played out, Lewis directed the group to an abandoned house and shot Harris in the back of the head, Johnson testified.

Harris, 53, went missing in Alexandria in Sept. 21, 2011. After a months-long search, his body was found in a Fort Washington, Md., well on Jan. 26, 2012. 

A graduate of T.C. Williams High School and one-time business owner on Mt. Vernon Avenue, Harris was active in local politics and community issues.

Harris founded the nonprofit Operation H.O.P.E. that presented the annual One Love Community Festival. Each year, Harris outfitted in-need kids at the festival with new backpacks and classroom supplies for the school year.

Tattoos on Lewis’ arms were used by prosecutors to link him to security footage of a man using Harris’ bankcard and holding a cellphone the night of the disappearance. Johnson testified that Lewis had asked Harris for his PIN number and recorded it in his phone.

Ivan Newman, the third man involved in the plot, pleaded guilty to robbery with a dangerous weapon and related charges and will also be sentenced in October. 

Police have linked Lewis to two other murders related to armed robberies, according to the Post. 

Lewis was also convicted Tuesday of nine other charges including kidnapping, robbery with a dangerous weapon and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence.