19-year-old man sentenced to 26 years in prison for 2020 rape, murder of woman in Washington Park
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee man will spend more than two decades in prison for horrifically attacking a woman three years ago.
In September of 2020, 36-year-old Ee Lee was killed after she was beaten and raped by a group of teenagers in Washington Park.
The suspects didn't know the victim.
Last spring, 19-year-old Kamare Lewis and 17-year-old Kevin Spencer pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and sexual assault.
On Friday, June 16, Lewis was sentenced to 26 years in prison and 19 years of extended supervision.
"This is one of the most brutal crimes I've seen in the last 20 years on the bench. Maybe it is the most brutal crime," said Milwaukee County Judge Glen Yamahiro.
On Sept. 16, 2020, Lee was laying on a blanket in Washington Park when a group of teenagers started harassing her.
Lewis and his Spencer violently beat and sexually assaulted her, before hiding her body in nearby brush.
"It wasn't enough to rape her. You had to beat the hell out of her at the same time and leave her to die. What could be worse?" Judge Yamahiro said Friday.
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"They had no regard for her life whatsoever at all," said the prosecutor, Sarah Hill.
Lee's sister appeared virtually during Lewis' hearing Friday, aided by a Hmong interpreter.
"I want justice for my younger sister," said Nancy Lee through her interpreter. "Her life was taken away from her."
The prosecutor spoke to Lewis' lack of empathy and honesty during the investigation, asking for a substantial prison sentence.
"This unconscionable and depraved violence is someone who's out of control," Hill said.
The judge noted Lewis' lack of education and upbringing.
Several of his family members were in the courtroom -- a support system the judge said is uncommon for many criminals.
"There was a basis here to expect a little bit more out of you. Not raping and killing somebody isn't a particularly high bar," Yamahiro said.
Before receiving his sentence, Lewis apologized to Lee's family and his own.
"I am truly ashamed of my actions and the very poor choices I chose," Lewis said.
His co-defendant, 17-year-old Kevin Spencer, is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 3.