A man convicted of murder in 2018 has been freed and had his indictment dismissed due to a violation of an interstate law on detainees. Terrence Lewis, who was serving a sentence for second-degree murder, had been held at the wrong prison in violation of the federal Interstate Agreement on Detainer's Law (IAD), according to a state judge's ruling.
Lewis was released earlier this month from a maximum-security prison in Seneca County, New York, where he was serving a sentence of 22 years to life for the drive-by shooting of Johnny Washington in Rochester. The jury had convicted him on the charges in 2018.
In a decision made on February 5th, Judge Stephen Miller stated that Monroe County officials had violated the IAD when they sent Lewis back to a federal prison in Pennsylvania, where he was serving a sentence for a drug conviction, while awaiting trial for the murder case in New York. The IAD, approved by Congress in 1970, stipulates that a prisoner charged with an unrelated crime in another jurisdiction must be held and tried in that jurisdiction before being returned to their original place of imprisonment. Failure to comply with this agreement requires the case in the other jurisdiction to be dismissed.
Judge Miller wrote that the decision to transfer Lewis back to Pennsylvania was made based on jail population and timing, rather than the law. As a result, the murder indictment against Lewis was dismissed with prejudice, meaning he cannot be retried for the same case, as confirmed by the district attorney's office.
It was revealed that Lewis was detained in Monroe County for five months after being arraigned on the murder charge in January 2018. He was then returned to the Pennsylvania federal prison in May of that year. The sheriff's office justified this as a 'traditional practice' of returning prisoners to their 'home' correctional facility. However, no court order existed to support this decision.
Lewis was brought back to Monroe County in July 2018 for the murder trial, which ultimately led to his conviction. However, Lewis' appellate lawyer later filed a motion to vacate the murder conviction based on the violation of the interstate agreement law, which eventually resulted in Judge Miller's ruling to dismiss the indictment.
Following the dismissal, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter issued an apology to Johnny Washington's family and friends, acknowledging the pain and lack of fairness caused by the violation. Sheriff Baxter pledged to ensure that such a violation of the law would not occur again in the future. The sheriff's office has since reviewed its detainee transfer procedures, provided training to staff, and audited previous transfers potentially involving the interstate agreement since 2018. The audit revealed that no other prisoners' cases had been affected by the violation.
This case highlights the significance of adhering to interstate laws and upholding the principles of justice. While government entities work towards ensuring the efficient operation of correctional facilities, it is crucial to prioritize compliance with legal agreements to maintain fairness and integrity within the criminal justice system.
