Cover up? Days after Maria Lewis, a mother of seven was shot and killed on her neighbor’s doorstep, questions swirl about what exactly happened, and how the neighbor, DuLance Morin an investigator with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office is involved and whether murder charges are forthcoming?
An Arizona mother of seven was shot and killed on her neighbor’s front porch over the weekend according to Mesa authorities.
Maria ‘Mea’ Lewis, 32, according to unconfirmed social media speculation was gunned down at the hands of her next door neighbor, 47-year-old DuLance Morin. Nevertheless police have yet to confirm or deny the next door neighbor’s alleged involvement.
Of note, Morin is a law enforcement investigator with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office according to FOX10.
How did Mesa, Arizona mom of 7 end up shot dead at her neighbor’s front door?
Mesa police said they responded to a welfare check around 2:45 a.m. Saturday, February 28 at near East Kinetic Drive and South Reliance Way where they found the mom of 7 suffering form a gunshot wound. Lewis was later pronounced dead.
On Monday, the home was missing a doorbell camera, and the steps had been removed from the front porch.
Police have not said anything about suspects, arrests or a motive. Detectives said they are waiting for forensic results.
The case has since led to speculation that Lewis may have been shot dead following an incident at the her next door neighbor’s home.
Arizona’s Stand Your Ground law and public’s demand for transparency
Under Arizona’s Stand Your Ground law, a person is allowed to use force – even deadly force, if they are lawfully present and reasonably believe force is necessary to stop a threat. But not all cases are black are white.
‘Her being on his property could be one factor of that decision, but whether that decision was justified or not is more complex in nature than one aspect of the pie,’ Josh Logan, the co-founder of Guardian Training & Consulting told FOX10.
‘You shouldn’t have to feel like you can’t go out to your neighborhood and just have a brief walk and feel like you’re going to have to look over your shoulder and get shot,’ Brian Staple, a friend of Maria Lewis told FOX10. ‘Compared to all the other doors on the block, he has a window, compared to this door. He could have at least seen who was at the window before he just briefly decided to do that.’
‘Ultimately, a lot of people in the public are wondering what’s going on – or is this a cover-up or a right investigation under the law,’ Criminal Defense Attorney Benjamin Taylor stated.
Adding, ‘The public wants transparency and they want the police department to at least release a statement to figure out what is going on, why are things taking so long and who will be arrested if anybody in this case.’
The AG’s office confirms Morin is on administrative leave, and his law enforcement status potentially triggering a criminal and administrative investigation.
A GoFundMe has been created to help raise money for Maria Lewis’ husband and their seven children.
