The District Attorney — 18th Judicial District
  • Our Office
    • About Us
      • Meet the District Attorney
      • Mission Statement
      • Law Enforcement Partners
      • Unified Metropolitan Forensic Crime Lab
      • Forms and Brochures
      • Organization Chart
    • Contact Us
    • Employment
    • General Courts
      • District Court
      • Juvenile Court
      • County Court
    • Specialized Units
      • Conviction Integrity Unit
      • Cold Case
      • Appeals
      • Vehicular Homicide Unit
      • Diversion Counseling Program
      • Special Victims Unit (SVU)
      • Domestic Violence Unit
      • Human Trafficking Unit
      • Elder and at Risk Unit
      • Economic Crime Unit
      • Problem Solving Courts
    • Support Units
      • Finance Unit
      • Communications
      • Human Resources
      • Technology
      • Investigations
      • Victim Witness Unit
      • Central Services
      • Victim Compensation
  • Newsletter
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Victim Services
    • Victim Witness Unit
      • Victim Impact Statement and Restitution Information
    • Victim Rights
    • Victim Compensation
    • Domestic Violence
      • Domestic Violence Fast Track
    • Sexual Assault
    • Sex Offender Locator
  • Community Outreach
    • Newsletter
    • Consumer Fraud Protection
      • Community Presentations
      • Wage Theft
      • Fraud Alerts
      • Bad Check Restitution Program — DISCONTINUED
    • Outreach
    • Events
      • Senior Law & Safety Summit: May 21, 2022
      • Second Chances Warrant Clearance
      • Community Conversations
      • Citizen’s Academy
    • Volunteer
  • Reports
    • Data Dashboards
    • Financial Reports
    • Media
    • News Releases
    • Records Request
    • Officer-Involved Shootings
    • Peace Officer Credibility Disclosure Notification
  • Prosecution
    • Criminal Justice Glossary
    • Courtroom Diagram
    • Records Request
    • Docket Search
Man convicted of multiple felonies after shooting at...
Report of July 5, 2022 officer-involved shooting in...
Report of July 21, 2022 officer-involved shooting in...
Jury returns guilty verdict in mass shooting at...
Aurora man sentenced to decades in prison for...
Man sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for...
Parolee and former Scout leader with history of...
Lone Tree bowling alley shooter sentenced to 23...
Report of March 3, 2022 officer-involved shooting in...
Colorado District Attorneys’ Council honors trial team for...

The District Attorney — 18th Judicial District

  • Our Office
    • About Us
      • Meet the District Attorney
      • Mission Statement
      • Law Enforcement Partners
      • Unified Metropolitan Forensic Crime Lab
      • Forms and Brochures
      • Organization Chart
    • Contact Us
    • Employment
    • General Courts
      • District Court
      • Juvenile Court
      • County Court
    • Specialized Units
      • Conviction Integrity Unit
      • Cold Case
      • Appeals
      • Vehicular Homicide Unit
      • Diversion Counseling Program
      • Special Victims Unit (SVU)
      • Domestic Violence Unit
      • Human Trafficking Unit
      • Elder and at Risk Unit
      • Economic Crime Unit
      • Problem Solving Courts
    • Support Units
      • Finance Unit
      • Communications
      • Human Resources
      • Technology
      • Investigations
      • Victim Witness Unit
      • Central Services
      • Victim Compensation
  • Newsletter
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Victim Services
    • Victim Witness Unit
      • Victim Impact Statement and Restitution Information
    • Victim Rights
    • Victim Compensation
    • Domestic Violence
      • Domestic Violence Fast Track
    • Sexual Assault
    • Sex Offender Locator
  • Community Outreach
    • Newsletter
    • Consumer Fraud Protection
      • Community Presentations
      • Wage Theft
      • Fraud Alerts
      • Bad Check Restitution Program — DISCONTINUED
    • Outreach
    • Events
      • Senior Law & Safety Summit: May 21, 2022
      • Second Chances Warrant Clearance
      • Community Conversations
      • Citizen’s Academy
    • Volunteer
  • Reports
    • Data Dashboards
    • Financial Reports
    • Media
    • News Releases
    • Records Request
    • Officer-Involved Shootings
    • Peace Officer Credibility Disclosure Notification
  • Prosecution
    • Criminal Justice Glossary
    • Courtroom Diagram
    • Records Request
    • Docket Search
Tag

Englewood Police Department

Raheem Benson

Sentence for random murder of chef in Englewood is life with parole

The family of an Englewood chef gunned down in the street by two teenagers in 2016 told a judge on Friday that Nick Lewis’ death was tragic, senseless and a heinous crime.

Raheem Benson

Raheem Benson


They traveled from Florida to urge Arapahoe District Court Judge Andrew Baum to impose the maximum sentence on the one who pulled the trigger, Raheem Benson.

Lewis’ former wife spoke on behalf of their son, who had just turned 8 when his father was murdered.

Lewis’ “death was unjust and senseless,” his ex-wife told the court. “These young men have permanently altered the course of (my son’s) life. Nothing can be done to right what has been done.”

Baum listened and then sentenced Benson, now 18, to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

“I don’t think any of your deficiencies shields you or excuses the choice you made that night,” Baum said, referencing mitigating factors the defense had raised in a previous hearing. “At some point you knew it was wrong to go out there with a gun … No one else made that choice.”

Baum added: “Your life is now the Department of Corrections.”

“Benson murdered for the mere thrill of killing another person. At any age, this can only be described as evil,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Colorado’s system is now set up to ensure that this cold-blooded murderer will again walk our streets, likely as early as in his 40s. We can only hope that his heart is turned away from darkness in the couple of decades he is incarcerated and we are safe from him.”

Lewis, who was 33, was a chef at Blackbird Public House in Denver. He was walking home from a convenience store Oct. 1, 2016, when he was targeted at random.

Englewood Police officers responding to reports of shots fired found Lewis lying on his back in the sidewalk in the 3000 block of South Acoma Street. It appeared he had been shot in the chest. Lewis was pronounced dead at Swedish Medical Center; he had been shot three times and died from a wound to his heart.

Investigators found shell casings at the scene. Witnesses described a vehicle that had left the area, and various security cameras in the area had captured video.

The vehicle was traced to one stolen out of Denver on Sept. 28, 2016; Westminster police reported it was recovered during investigation of an Oct. 3, 2016, shooting. Teenagers Benson and Louis Lara-Macias were arrested in that case.

Englewood detectives were able to tie both of them to Lewis’ death and they were charged with murder.

Lewis’ youngest sibling was 11 years old when he was murdered.

She read a victim impact statement in court during Benson’s sentencing.

“There is no excuse for the defendant to use age as a cop-out for the horrific act,” the teenager told the judge. “He is a predator and Nick was his prey.”

Lara-Macias pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in the Department of Corrections, which will be suspended upon successful completion of 7 years in the Department of Corrections’ youth offender system.

Benson was convicted March 22 of first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery in Lewis’ death. Chief Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Gleason and Senior Deputy District Attorney Brittany Martin prosecuted the case.

Lewis’ mother also read a statement in court.

“This murder was a concerted choice made by two evil men on a crime spree,” she said. “Nick was shot 3 times execution style – and all for what?” …

Benson “needs to deal with the consequences of what he’s done and be held accountable.”

Sentence for random murder of chef in Englewood is life with parole was last modified: June 18th, 2018 by Eric Ross
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

2nd defendant guilty of murder of Denver chef in Englewood

An Arapahoe County jury found an Englewood teenager guilty of killing a Denver chef.

Raheem Benson, now 18, was convicted Thursday of first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery in the 2016 death of Nicholas Lewis, who was 33.

When Benson is sentenced on June 15, he faces life in prison in the Department of Corrections with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

“The public should know that ‘life in prison’ no longer means anything close to that for murderers like this one. Because our state legislature passed a law substantially decreasing the penalties for juvenile murderers, this remorseless killer of a random, innocent, much-beloved, productive member of our society may be let back out onto our streets with our families before he is 40 years old,” said District Attorney George H. Brauchler. “He shot the victim in the chest multiple times and left him to die on the side of the road. Prisons exist to protect us from dangers like this.”

Lewis was a chef at Blackbird Public House in Denver. He had been walking home from a convenience store Oct. 1, 2016, when he was targeted at random.

Englewood Police officers responding to reports of shots fired found Lewis lying on his back in the sidewalk in the 3000 block of South Acoma Street. It appeared he had been shot in the chest. Lewis was pronounced dead at Swedish Medical Center; he had been shot three times and died from a wound to his heart.

Investigators found shell casings at the scene. Witnesses described a vehicle that had left the area, and various security cameras in the area had captured video.

The vehicle was traced to one stolen out of Denver on Sept. 28, 2016; Westminster police reported it was recovered during investigation of an Oct. 3, 2016, shooting. Teenagers Benson and Louis Lara-Macias were arrested in that case.

Englewood detectives were able to tie both of them to Lewis’ death and they were charged with murder.

Lara-Macias pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in the Department of Corrections, which will be suspended upon successful completion of 7 years in the Department of Corrections’ youth offender system.

“We appreciate the fine and swift investigative work of the Englewood Police Department in halting this tragic crime spree,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Gleason, who prosecuted the case. “Their work not only led to justice but also made the community safer.”

“This defendant took one life and forever altered others by committing a violent and senseless murder,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Brittany Martin, who prosecuted the case with Gleason. “We hope this verdict will bring some peace to the Lewis family, who lost a son, brother, father and friend.”

2nd defendant guilty of murder of Denver chef in Englewood was last modified: April 13th, 2018 by Eric Ross
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Englewood teen sentenced in murder of Denver chef

An Englewood teenager was sentenced Dec. 7 for killing a Denver chef. Louis Lara-Macias, 17 was sentenced to 21 years in the Department of Corrections suspended upon completion of 7 years in the Department of Corrections’ youth offender system.

Arapahoe District Court Judge Andrew Baum sentenced Lara-Macias as part of a plea agreement that saw Lara-Macias plead guilty to Murder 2 on Oct. 19, 2017, for the death of Nicholas Lewis, who was 33. All other charges against Lara-Macias were dropped.

On Oct. 1, 2016, Englewood Police officers responding to reports of shots fired found Lewis lying on his back in the sidewalk in the 3000 block of South Acoma Street. It appeared he had been shot in the chest. Lewis was pronounced dead at Swedish Medical Center; he had been shot three times and died from a wound to his heart.

Investigators found shell casings at the scene. Witnesses described a vehicle that had left the area, and various security cameras in the area had captured video.

The vehicle was traced to one stolen out of Denver on Sept. 28, 2016; Westminster police reported it was recovered during investigation of an Oct. 3, 2016, shooting. Lara-Macias and another juvenile were arrested in that case.

Englewood detectives were able to tie both of them to Lewis’ death and they were charged with murder.

Lewis’ 12-year-old sister was among several family members who came from out-of-state to give impact statements during sentencing.

“This was on purpose and totally planned out,” she said of the act that took the life of her brother. “Nick is gone forever and will never be coming back … He did not deserve this – none of us did.”

Their mother also spoke.

“I can’t help but wonder the sheer horror Nick must have felt being approached by a masked gunman,” she said. “No amount of therapy will ever erase this nightmare.”

Lewis was a chef at Blackbird Public House in Denver. He had been walking home from a convenience store when Lara-Macias targeted him at random as part of a crime spree.

Judge Baum recognized the family in imposing the sentence.

“No action that I can take will reduce the pain that you caused them,” he told Lara-Macias. “This was an absolutely preventable crime. Mr Lewis didn’t have to die.”

Englewood teen sentenced in murder of Denver chef was last modified: December 7th, 2017 by Eric Ross
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Jury finds former Englewood officer guilty of lying in report

An Arapahoe County jury has found a former Englewood police officer guilty of putting false information in a police report about her involvement investigating a car crash.

Megan Feebeck, 27, of Thornton, was found guilty Friday of misdemeanor counts of abuse of public records and false reporting. Judge Jay Williford sentenced her to 50 hours of community service.

On Jan. 17, 2016, then-Officer Feebeck was called to investigate a two-car crash on West Floyd Avenue in Englewood. She was the lead officer on the scene.

On Feb. 18, 2016, a passenger in one of the cars died, elevating the case to a fatal accident investigation.

The detective assigned to investigate the fatality was surprised to see that the original police reports did not include information from medical personnel attesting to the severity of the injuries of the five people taken to the hospital. There was also nothing in the file about whether the at-fault driver was tested or asked about alcohol or drug use.

In an effort to get more information, the detective questioned Feebeck, and she told him she couldn’t find the right people at the hospital to ask about the injuries.

But in a supplemental police report Feebeck submitted approximately 10 days later, Feebeck stated that she had spoken to a nurse for each of the five patients that night.

Testimony during the trial showed she did not do the investigation she described in her report, and the jury found Feebeck guilty.

The investigation into the fatal accident is ongoing.

“Being a law enforcement officer in this community comes with great authority, great honor, and great responsibility. Feebeck rejected that when she lied about her failure to properly conduct her investigation” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “It is important that the public know that we will hold accountable those who violate our laws, whether they are police or plumbers, politicians or preachers. Nobody is above the law.”

Jury finds former Englewood officer guilty of lying in report was last modified: October 6th, 2017 by Eric Ross
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Recent Posts

  • Man convicted of multiple felonies after shooting at private security officer patrolling neighborhood in Aurora
  • Report of July 5, 2022 officer-involved shooting in Aurora
  • Report of July 21, 2022 officer-involved shooting in Englewood
  • Jury returns guilty verdict in mass shooting at Aurora hotel that left 1 dead, 3 injured
  • Aurora man sentenced to decades in prison for brutally beating woman on High Line Canal Trail
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Footer Logo
  • Our Office
  • Victim Services
  • Community Outreach
  • Media
  • Employment
  • Contact Us
  • Prosecution
  • Disclaimer Policy

© 2022 - DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 18 JUDICIAL DISTRICT