15-Year-Old Florida Boy Charged As Adult In Fatal Shooting Of Real Estate Agent

A Florida teen has been accused of kidnapping a real estate agent and robbing him at gunpoint before fatally shooting him, authorities said.

Henry Lee Lewis III, 15, was arrested Friday on charges of second-degree murder and armed robbery in the incident that happened on Feb. 1. The juvenile has been charged as an adult.

On the day of the incident, the police responded to the scene after a homeowner reported a crash in his front yard. When the police arrived, they saw a car run over a chain-link fence in the front yard of the house. They also found an unresponsive victim in the driver’s seat, reported news outlet NBC Miami.

The police later identified the victim as 37-year-old Stefano Barbosa. Barbosa was found shot in his chest with a wallet next to him. His debit card was found sticking out of it. The medical examination revealed that the shooter was seated at the passenger seat of the vehicle.

The investigators found out that Barbosa was a real estate agent and had been at a quadruplex on that day to get some documents signed by a customer. Based on a surveillance video, they also found out that Barbosa was approached by a male suspect who was dressed in black.

Barbosa was seen putting his hands in the air while the suspect escorted him into his car. The suspect also got into the passenger seat as the car drove away.

The bank records indicated that Barbosa had made two $500 transactions on that day. The surveillance video at the ATM showed that Barbosa was accompanied by the masked suspect.

The detectives determined that the suspect had shot Barbosa on his chest after he drove 2 miles away from the bank, reported news outlet NY Post.

The investigators identified the suspect with the help of some confidential informants and school staffers. The teenager was already in custody on different charges, including burglary when the investigators identified him as the suspect.

The detectives confirmed that Lewis was the suspect after his mobile showed locations near the places where the victim was abducted, the bank and the place of the car crash. His mobile search history also showed that he was viewing the story of the crime a day after the incident.

First charged with an armed robbery when he was just 12 years old, Lewis is held without bond Tuesday.

Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor has released a statement regarding the decision to charge the juvenile as an adult.

“These types of decisions are very difficult to make but I believe this is the correct decision in this case and in these circumstances,” Pryor said.

“If this case were to be handled as a juvenile matter, he would have to be released from the juvenile justice system at age 18. The maximum term of residential treatment available in the juvenile justice system is 36 months prior to release. Any juvenile charge would mean that the person would be released after three years in the system and could only be kept under supervision in the community until age 21,” Pryor added.