Prosecutors present autopsy, scene evidence and witness testimony showing single gunshot killed Charles Lewis; experts testify death ruled homicide

A Jefferson County detective, the county evidence captain and a forensic pathologist told jurors on Oct. 3 that medical and physical evidence show Charles Lewis died of complications from a single gunshot wound and that investigators tied the weapon and a spent casing to the bedroom where he was found.

Detective Holmes testified that investigators returned to the residence on Sept. 28 and interviewed Tracy Samuel, and later interviewed her again after she was arrested on Oct. 3, 2023. "It's not my job initially to prove that Tracy Samuels did this. It's my job to see is there evidence that I can prove she didn't do this," Holmes said as he described reviewing videos, body-worn-camera footage and the interview recordings used in the case.

Holmes described the bedroom layout, telling the jury the television provided the only light inside the master bedroom and that the nightstand with a dark, black pistol sat in a darker area behind the bed. He said investigators recovered a spent .40-caliber shell casing from the bedroom floor area and later took custody of a Smith & Wesson M&P .40-caliber pistol that had been rendered safe and placed in an evidence box. "These type of guns do not go off on accident. They had to have someone actually pull the trigger," Holmes told the jury when asked about the weapon's operation.

Captain Sue Kelly of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office testified about evidence collection. Kelly said she took custody of a Smith & Wesson M&P .40 from Deputy Silva, secured it in evidence and later sealed and cataloged a spent casing found near the bedroom. She also identified a slug that hospital staff removed during surgery and turned over to investigators; a separate set of fragments removed during autopsy was also logged into evidence.

Forensic pathologist Dr. William McClain, who reviewed the autopsy report and photographs prepared by Dr. Stephanie Grew, described the projectile’s path and the internal damage it caused. "The cause of death was complications of the gunshot wound of the torso, and the manner of death was homicide," Dr. McClain told the jury. He said the bullet entered the lower right chest/upper right abdomen, traveled front to back, right to left and slightly upward, passed through the diaphragm and liver, and fractured ribs. Radiographs and photographs introduced during testimony showed a radio-dense projectile fragment and surgical intervention consistent with the injury and subsequent hospital treatment.

Dr. McClain told the jury there was no soot or firearm stippling on the skin around the entrance wound, which means the muzzle was not pressed to the body when fired; he explained that clothing or a dense blanket could obscure soot but said he was confident the muzzle was not in contact with the skin. He also identified recovered fragments, including a small red polymer plug consistent with some hollow-point ammunition.

The court admitted multiple items into evidence during the testimony, including interview recordings (State’s Exhibits 2 and 3), the recovered firearm and its evidence box (State’s Exhibit 7), a spent casing (State’s Exhibit 8), a hospital-extracted slug (State’s Exhibit 9), autopsy reports and related photographs and x-rays (State’s Exhibits 11 and 20–27). The judge overruled a defense motion for a directed verdict and allowed the case to go to the jury.

Why it matters: The prosecution framed the physical evidence — the recovered pistol, the spent casing in the bedroom, the hospital and autopsy recovery of projectile fragments, and the pathologist's opinion that the wound was homicidal — as the factual core of their case. Those elements are central to the jury’s forthcoming deliberations on whether the shooting was accidental, negligent or intentional.

The trial will move next to jury instructions and closing arguments before the jury begins deliberations.