Stefano Barbosa Fort Lauderdale realtor taken hostage by 15 year old Florida teen, Henry Lee Lewis, forced to withdraw $1,000 from an ATM, before fatally shot dead.
A 15-year-old Florida boy reportedly kidnapped a real estate agent, forced him to withdraw $1,000 from an ATM, before fatally shooting him and fleeing.
The victim, identified as Fort Lauderdale realtor, Stefano Barbosa, 37, was pronounced dead around 5 p.m. on Feb. 1 after his car crashed into a tree according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
The teen, Henry Lee Lewis, was later apprehended and charged as an adult for second-degree murder and armed robbery local10.com reported citing Broward County prosecutors.
Investigators pieced together the entire sequence of events with surveillance footage.
Barbosa, was confronted by the teen, who was wearing dark clothes and a ski mask, and forced by gunpoint into his car. The victim drove to a Bank of America and made two $500 withdrawals. Minutes later, while still driving, the victim was shot in the chest and crashed the car. The suspect then exited the vehicle and fled the scene.
Juvenile with a history of violent crime beginning at age twelve
Stills from the footage were used to identify the suspect, a student at Cross Creek School in Pompano Beach.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, the suspect was already in juvenile custody on unrelated charges for burglaries, resisting arrest and battery on a police officer when he was arrested for the murder.
He was moved from juvenile custody into Broward County Jail on Friday and denied bond.
The teen is well known to police, having been taken into custody on multiple occasions on charges including robbery with a gun when he was just 12.
Faces life behind bars
The teen faces life behind bars. Had he been tried and convicted in juvenile courts, the teen would have been released after three years and could be kept under supervision in the community only until he turned 21 revealed, Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor.
‘This young person’s issues are so significant that they require treatment, help, and services beyond what the juvenile justice system can provide at this time,’ Pryor said.
According to Barbosa’s obituary and his LinkedIn account, he was born in in Campinas, Brazil. He graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High School. After earning his bachelor’s degrees in accounting and German from Pennsylvania State University, Barbosa moved back to South Florida.
