TAMPA, Fla. – Prosecutors with the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office sought a sentence of life in prison today for 43-year-old Lewis Matthews of Tampa and got it.
Judge Fernandez has imposed the sentence of life in prison on Matthews.
Specifically, she established sentences of:
- Sexual battery on a victim younger than 12: Life in prison
- Two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim younger than 12: 25 years for each charge
- Tampering with physical evidence: 5 years in prison
Those sentences will run concurrently, so they will be served at the same time (not back-to-back).
Because a life sentence was handed down for one of the charges, the other sentences aren’t as consequential—the life sentence trumps the others, so Matthews will be incarcerated for the rest of his life.
A jury found Matthews guilty earlier this month of four separate felonies for sexually battering and molesting his girlfriend’s 10-year-old daughter—then pouring bleach onto her genitals to try to destroy evidence of the crime.
“It’s heartbreaking to sit in court and watch a victim, who has been sexually abused by someone who is supposed to be caring for her, testify on the stand. That’s why I’m so proud of the work that our prosecutors do to hold these offenders accountable, stand up for the victims, and send these predators away for life,” Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said.
At 3:30 a.m. on April 13, 2019, the 10-year-old victim was sleeping on the floor in her living room. Matthews was visiting the home; he had been dating the victim’s mother for several years and was like a stepfather to her.
Matthews approached the victim as she slept. He undressed her and then proceeded to molest and sexually batter her. The victim’s mother heard a noise and came downstairs. Stunned by what she discovered, the victim’s mother called 911.
As the victim’s mother was talking with a 911 dispatcher, Matthews quickly took the young victim and the two other children in the home and put them in the car. The victim’s mother screamed for them not to go, but Matthews drove off. Matthews headed to a nearby gas station and brought the victim inside the store.
He directed her to go into the bathroom. Matthews went down the aisle, picked up a bottle of Clorox bleach, and joined the victim in the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, Matthews ordered the victim to remove her pants and underwear. He then splashed caustic bleach onto her genitals. Matthews took the victim’s underwear and threw them into a dumpster behind the store.
The defendant’s criminal attempt to destroy DNA evidence failed. Investigators from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office were able to locate Matthews’ DNA on the bleach-stained underwear, as well as the victim’s body, and other clothing.
Assistant State Attorneys Melissa Grajales and Kathryn Bonti secured the guilty verdict on June 4 following a three-day trial, with convictions for charges of sexual battery on a victim younger than 12, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim younger than 12, and tampering with physical evidence.
Grajales is a member of the State Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit, which is dedicated to prosecuting crimes against children, the elderly, and other vulnerable members of our community. Partner agencies were vital to the success of the case, in particular HCSO Detective Carrie Carrero, who showed exceptional dedication to supporting and advocating for the young victim.
Williams is expected to receive at least the mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison on the sexual battery charge, as well as a 25-year minimum mandatory sentence on each of the two molestation charges. The evidence tampering charge could add up to five years of additional prison time.
“Parents who are sexually abusing kids in their custody—it makes your blood boil. That’s why we’re aggressively prosecuting cases like these. And that’s why these people deserve to spend the rest of their lives in prison,” Warren said.
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