POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy accused of kidnapping and killing a real estate agent in Fort Lauderdale last month.
According to police, Henry Lee Lewis stands accused of murdering 37-year-old real estate agent Stefano Barbosa on Feb. 1.
Barbosa was in the neighborhood collecting signatures from tenants when, according to the police report, surveillance video captured Lewis walking up to Barbosa, showing him a gun and forcing Barbosa into his BMW to drive to a nearby Bank of America.
According to the police report, the 15-year-old then allegedly forced the 37-year-old to withdraw $1,000. He then forced Barbosa to drive back to the neighborhood, and at some point, the real estate agent was hit with a single bullet to the chest. Lewis, who had been sitting in the front seat, ran off.
Barbosa died while behind the wheel of his car, crashing into a nearby home. His family described him as an avid cyclist who was in a perennial good mood, loved pets and knew how to get the best deals.
“I heard something hit the gate,” Wayne, a good Samaritan, said. “When I walked outside, the car was on top of the palm tree. Its tires were spinning, and I’m beating on the window, beating on the window, and the guy wasn’t responding at all, wasn’t saying nothing. He just had his head turned to the side.”
Wayne then called 911 for help.
“I thought he probably had a seizure or something,” Wayne added. “I thought it was a seizure because his eyes were open. He was just leaning over that way. The police came, and they bust the window open, and when they bust the window open, they cut it off, and that’s when they realized the guy was– they said he was shot.”
According to the police report, Lewis’ cellphone placed him in the neighborhood, the Bank of America and the crash site. He appeared in court over the weekend.
During court, the Broward State Attorney’s Office called Lewis an “extremely violent offender” while the 15-year-old said he could not understand.
“I don’t understand anything,” Lewis said.
“You don’t understand?” Broward County Circuit Court Judge John Murphy asked.
“I don’t,” Lewis replied.
“What don’t you understand?” Murphy asked.
“What the big words are,” Lewis said.
“All right, well, a public defender has been appointed to represent you,” Murphy said. “That’s number one. Number two: you have a right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you. All right? So, you have to be careful what you say and who you talk to.”
Lewis has been charged as an adult and faces charges of murder and armed kidnapping. He is being held at a detention center in Pompano Beach without bond.
“I know it says you’re 15 years old, but you’ve been charged as an adult with a first count of murder,” Murphy said.
The 15-year-old was a student enrolled at Cross Creek School in Pompano Beach. His criminal history began when he was 12 years old.
Investigators said his search history showed that he looked up an article about the incident the day after the shooting.
Lewis is currently being held without bond.
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