Newton man sentenced 35 years in prison for attempted murder, stalking

Jessie Harvey is left with both physical and emotional scars after ex-boyfriend Tyrece Lewis tried to kill her. But in her victim impact statement to the court on July 10, before Lewis was sentenced to 35 years in prison, she assured her attacker, “You did not break me” and that “I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been.”

In her statement, Harvey recounted how terrified she was of Lewis, who is also the father of her children, and recalled many instances of violence and gaslighting. Even when the two were separated, she said he would show up to her house unannounced and accused her of seeing other men.

When Lewis bonded from a stalking charge just three days prior, Harvey said he either followed her or used an app on her phone to track her to Dollar General in Newton. Harvey was buying diapers for her son when Lewis attacked her from behind and stabbed her in the back multiple times.

During the attack on March 6, Harvey said the knife blade broke from the handle and was stuck in her back. Lewis punched her a few more times before fleeing the scene and the town. Authorities would later find him in Florida. Harvey, supported by nearly two dozen loved ones in court, called Lewis an “evil person.”

The entire attack, which took place around 12:54 p.m., was captured by video surveillance. Jasper County Attorney Scott Nicholson wanted to show the footage in court prior to sentencing. Lewis’s defense attorney, Marc Wallace, objected to the request, saying it “undermines” the plea agreement.

Inevitably, the judge decided against viewing the video footage, and the hearing proceeded without it.

Lewis told District Court Judge Charles Sinnard he takes full responsibility for his actions and will serve his time to “become a better person.” Sinnard questioned if Lewis truly understood the consequences of his actions. Lewis said he knows his actions affected his family, the victim’s family and the community.

“How about the victim?” Sinnard asked.

“Her as well,” Lewis responded.

On May 15, Lewis withdrew his initial plea of not guilty and waived his right to a jury trial. He subsequently pleaded guilty to attempted murder and stalking-third or subsequent offense, which are both considered felonies in Iowa and carry with them a maximum sentence of 25 years and 10 years, respectively.

The judge has limited options when it comes to sentencing, but Sinnard did have some discretion over whether Lewis will serve a consecutive or concurrent sentence. Considering Lewis’s prior criminal record and the nature of the two offenses, the judge ultimately decided on a consecutive sentence.

Sinnard noted this was not the first time Lewis has a violent criminal history. Newton News reported that he was arrested and charged with domestic assault in May 2015. The woman he assaulted, who was unnamed in the report, went so far as to jump from a moving vehicle to get away from him.

But what Sinnard found “very troubling” was that almost immediately upon release from his bond for a crime committed on March 3, Lewis’s “response was to escalate things” and “to do so publicly.” This was not a “discreet offense,” Sinnard said, the attack was committed in broad daylight.

Lewis later asked the judge to reconsider enforcing a concurrent sentence instead, saying the court should recognize the years where he was not in trouble and provided for his family. To be served a consecutive sentence, Lewis said he “might as well die in jail.” He also wanted to be able to see his children.

Sinnard said Lewis might still have that opportunity to interact with his kids, but the judge stood by his decision. While Lewis argued for the court to not deprive him of seeing his children, Sinnard was quick to point out that Lewis did not hesitate to deprive his children of a parent when he attacked their mother.

Again, Lewis pushed back, saying the plea agreement from the prosecution recommended a concurrent sentence. Lewis said he did not want to spend the rest of his life in prison. He asked again for the judge to reconsider, but Sinnard did not back down and ended any further conversation.

“It’s not what we agreed to though,” Lewis said to the prosecutors before being taken away by Jasper County Jail staff.

Harvey embraced her loved ones before leaving the courtroom. They hugged her tight and patted her gently on the back, telling her it was over.

As per state law, Lewis — who was supported by his sister at the sentencing hearing — would be eligible for parole when 70 percent of his sentence for attempted murder had been served, or roughly 17-and-a-half years. But he would also have to serve his sentence for the felony stalking charge.