Victim's daughter testifies in Colleton Co. murder trial

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – The daughter of a woman who was severely burned and died testified in the murder trial where the victim's husband was accused of setting her on fire.

The state accuses Craig Lewis of arson and murder by setting his wife on fire and ultimately killing her in 2019. Craig Lewis originally told police that Terry Lewis accidentally caught fire while using a wood stove and maintains his innocence.

Leigh Ann Cronkey took the stand to talk about what she saw in the relationship between her mother and Craig Lewis, and to describe a serious argument she witnessed between them shortly before her mother suffered severe burns from which she died never recovered.

Cronkey explained that she knew Craig because they were in high school at the same time, but not at the same school. She said she believed Craig and Terry Lewis loved each other.

But during her time on the witness stand, Leigh Ann Cronkey said the relationship between her mother and Craig Lewis was strained and she was aware of some infidelity. She testified that her mother called Cronkey the night before the fire incident, frantic and desperate to be picked up from the couple's home. Cronkey said she had given her mother advice before when she saw parts of the relationship break down.

“My words to her were always: You have to think of something. Someone gets hurt,” Cronkey said.

Cronkey says she went to where her mother and Craig Lewis were staying the night before the fire incident to pick up her mother after receiving the call. After driving around for a while, they went back to the house to get some items. Then, according to Cronkey, violence broke out.

“Mom tried to come in to get her keys and her medication. And he smote her hand in the door and would not let her in. She kept trying to open the door…but then he slammed it again and pushed her down. He grabbed her by the back of the head and slammed her face into the grill,” Cronkey said.

Cronkey testified that she told Craig Lewis, “Now she's cheating on me and she's lost everything, but she's getting nothing. “I'm done. “She…I gave her the world and now she gets nothing,” during the fight.

Under cross-examination, the defense delved into Leigh Ann's statements about the day of the fight and burning, asking her about details she apparently could not remember. Defense attorney and state Sen. Margie Bright-Matthews scrutinized Cronkey's finances and had her talk about how Craig Lewis often provided financial support to Cronkey, who was struggling with loans and payments.

While Terry Lewis spent ten months trying to recover from the burns, Cronkey took steps in probate court and became her mother's conservator, in charge of her affairs. The defense says court documents show Cronkey spent more than $4,000 of her mother's money during that time, which the court couldn't explain. Cronkey testified that she did this at her mother's request and paid part of it for care costs, and also told the probate court this.

Bright-Matthews pressed Cronkey on Terry Lewis' life insurance policy, valued at about $25,000 to $30,000. Cronkey confirmed she changed the policy beneficiary from Craig Lewis to herself.

“At my mother’s request, when she was still in her right mind, yes. When she was in Charleston and things were going well and she was regaining all her mental capacity, there were several things she wanted and I took care of all of them,” Cronkey said.

The defense continued to press its claim that Cronkey framed Craig Lewis for committing the murder in order to financially remove him from her mother's affairs and make her the sole heir. The defense pointed out that Cronkey wrote her mother's obituary and completely omitted Craig Lewis from it without mentioning the marriage.

The defense called a witness, Terry Lewis' family doctor, Dr. Gunther Rencken. He detailed Terry Lewis' diabetes, bipolar depression, breast cancer and thyroid disease. The doctor noted that she sometimes had problems with balance and tremors. He also reviewed a discharge summary for Terry Lewis of Roper St. Francis, which mentioned dementia in her file in 2015. The doctor confirmed to the other person that he had not diagnosed Terry Lewis with dementia.

The jury is expected in the courtroom on Thursday for closing arguments and deliberations.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.