A Northeast Portland man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a reindictment that accuses him of murder, second-degree abuse of a corpse, unlawful use of a weapon and felon in possession of body armor in the death of his tenant whose body was found in the wall of a shed in his backyard.
Gary Alan Lewis, 61, is accused of killing Renee Suzanne Sandidge, 59, through blunt-force trauma to the head on or about June 7, then hiding her body. Sandidge lived in the basement of Lewis’ home on Northeast 66th Avenue.
Court records allege Lewis used a hammer to strike Sandidge.
The abuse charge alleges Lewis “unlawfully and intentionally” removed or carried away Sandidge’s body to conceal it.
Lewis’ wife and daughter were among those who testified before the Multnomah County grand jury that returned an indictment Monday, according to court records.
Lewis had previously been convicted of possession of a controlled substance in Clackamas County on Feb. 2, 1983, making him a felon, according to the latest indictment. As a felon, he’s not allowed to possess body armor.
Police were sent to Lewis’ home, at 3934 N.E. 66th Ave. to do a welfare check after his 15-year-old daughter saw her dad carrying bleach and a tarp with something underneath it through the backyard, neighbors said. The girl called her mother, neighbors said.
Police arrived about 11 a.m. on June 7. Using a loudspeaker, they told Lewis to come out. When he didn’t, police fired tear gas canisters into the home. When they stormed the house, they didn’t find Lewis.
Sandidge also was nowhere to be found. Police obtained search warrants and searched the home, outbuildings and a bunker beneath the driveway — they did it slowly because they worried Lewis might have booby-trapped the property.
Police found Sandidge’s body three days after first arriving at the home — hidden in the shed.
About 8:03 p.m. on June 12, a neighbor spotted Lewis walking about 3 1/2 blocks from his home and alerted police. Lewis was arrested in the 4500 block of Northeast 68th Avenue, jail records show.
Sandridge had filed multiple complaints with the city about living conditions in her rental space. In October 2013, she complained about no heat and a low ceiling, and the city began fining Lewis for code violations in February.
Sandidge has two sons. One of the sons asserted his rights as a victim in the case, through a local attorney.
A bail hearing for Lewis is set for July 25 before Circuit Court Judge Kenneth R. Walker, according to court records.
Source: oregonlive
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