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Sheriff: Trio In Manatee Plotted To Kill Homicide Witness

Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune

(Left to right) Anthony Lewis, Twando Lewis, Marquis McArthur.

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By CHRISTINA E. SANCHEZ of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: December 21, 2007

MANATEE COUNTY - Roberta Ramsey witnessed the fatal Valentine's Day shooting of her husband of 30 years. She watched a burglar use Daniel Ramsey's own gun to kill him outside their Samoset home. She was the only person to see the two men race off in a midnight-blue Chevy Caprice.

Authorities say that the suspect in the killing, Anthony Lewis, recently plotted from his jail cell to have her killed. Lewis and his mother, Twando Lewis, reportedly planned to pay $5,000 to have another man, Marquis McArthur, carry out the murder.

"Lewis was trying to eliminate the only eyewitness in his current case," said Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube.

Roberta Ramsey was placed under protective custody this week until deputies could arrest those they say were involved in the scheme.

Twando Lewis, 39, was arrested Wednesday when she picked up the money from an undisclosed person at a Wal-Mart on State Road 70. Her bail was set at $50,000.

McArthur, 20, was arrested Thursday and was being held in a county jail with no set bail.

Both were charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

Anthony Lewis, 19, who has been in jail since February on a charge of first-degree murder, also was charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

Authorities say the latest charges against Lewis were filed after routinely recorded jail phone calls between Lewis and his mother revealed the murder-for-hire plot. Subsequently, a recording device was put in Lewis' jail cell, and more details emerged, Steube said.

They said they learned that Twando Lewis was going to pick up the money and deliver it to McArthur.

The sheriff's office is releasing few other details. It does not expect to make any more arrests.

"We're trying to make the best case on these folks we can," Steube said. "We don't want to reveal too much."

Roberta Ramsey no longer is in protective custody, but deputies will watch out for her as they continue their investigation.

Steube did not think she would return to her house.

Ramsey could not be reached for comment Thursday. No one answered the door at her home in the 2400 block of 33rd Avenue Drive East.

Detectives are conducting more interviews and exploring whether more charges could be filed against the trio, Steube said.

McArthur has a criminal record dating to 2003. He has been arrested in Manatee and Sarasota counties on drug charges, including possession of cocaine and manufacturing-selling-delivering cocaine. In 2006, he was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm. In October, he was put on probation, which was scheduled to end in 2009.

The murder charge against Anthony Lewis stems from the day in February when he and an accomplice, Michael Walker, burglarized the Ramsey home, authorities said.

Daniel and Roberta Ramsey returned home after a Valentine's Day lunch and interrupted the burglary. Roberta Ramsey stayed in the truck while Daniel Ramsey bolted toward the house armed with a hunting knife. The home on 33rd Avenue Drive East already had been burglarized twice.

From the front yard, Walker shouted into the home to Lewis, who emerged with a revolver in his hand and shot Daniel Ramsey, 67, authorities said. Walker and Lewis then fled, authorities said.

A countywide search was launched for Lewis and Walker. Walker was arrested within hours of the killing. Lewis was arrested the next day. Authorities credit the arrests to Roberta Ramsey's detailed eyewitness description of the getaway car.

Walker also was charged with murder for his role as the getaway driver, authorities reported.

Prosecutors decided not the seek the death penalty against Lewis and Walker because they did not break into the house with the intent to kill Daniel Ramsey. Premeditation is required in death penalty cases.

Roberta Ramsey was furious about the decision and said she wanted Lewis to pay for her husband's slaying with his own life.

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