Kevin Lewis and Amanda Canales seemed to have the perfect relationship when they got together in 2007. A military veteran, Lewis initially met Canales at a restaurant. "He was there with his friend in the booth behind me and I was there with my friend, Ari. [Lewis] was flirting and smiling and I was sort of dismissive," Canales recalled (per The Sun).
"He made a joke about how it was meant to be -- we ran into each other." Canales' sister, Alisha, was less fond of Lewis. According to Alisha, Lewis was "arrogant." Seven months later, Lewis and Canales moved in together. Two years later, they got married. Quickly, Amanda had three children: Eliana, Amaya, and Isaiah. Shortly after having their third child, the cracks in their foundation started to show.
"One of the big problems in the marriage was his lack of affection. When he would get upset he would try and put me down and call me a lot of names," Amanda states. "When I was pregnant with my son he called me a crybaby and fat b--h. I was like 'Who did I marry?' ... [Lewis] was emotionally abusive throughout the marriage."
A Military Veteran Hires A Relative To Kill His Wife
In February 2016, Amanda finally asked for a divorce. A year afterward, Lewis contacted his cousin, Jerradon Phelps, to kill Amanda. Phelps went to Amanda's home -- not knowing that Amanda was at a work conference and Alisha was watching the kids with Abigail, the family's nanny. Abigail was startled from her sleep that night by what sounded like two gunshots.
"I heard two pops and it woke me up. She's lying face down in her own blood," Abigail said to the police. "The kids were asking where aunty Punky was. They were asking who the lady was lying on the floor. They must have been terrified."
Afterward, Amanda was notified that Alisha had been killed. Lewis was convicted for an prior assault charge against Amanda. However, the case didn't hit a breakthrough until Phelps' girlfriend, Alexis Hale, was heard bragging about the shooting. Ultimately, Hale was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Phelps was given 32 years. And Lewis, for his role as the "mastermind," received life without the possibility of parole.
