An autopsy of Dennis Lewis revealed he had been shot three times in the head/neck area. An autopsy of Mary Lewis revealed she had been shot once in the head/neck area. Medical examiners found both Dennis and Mary Lewis were shot with a small-caliber firearm.
A witness said he arrived at the Lewises' home about 06:30 a.m. Tuesday to work with Dennis Lewis cutting timber. The witness said he went to the rear door of the home and Stevens told him that Dennis Lewis was not working that day. The witness told detectives that he noticed the tailgate on the silver 2005 Dodge truck was in the open position and he found that "odd," although he didn't say why he thought that.
Another witness said he has been friends with the Lewises for several years, and worked with Dennis Lewis on his farm on a regular basis. That witness said Stevens had been living in the Lewises' home since sometime in the summer of 2010. This witness said, due to suffering a stroke some time earlier, Stevens was not allowed to drive the Lewises' vehicles or the farm machinery.
That same witness also said he didn't believe Stevens was capable of driving a vehicle and said Lewis would only let Stevens do small tasks around the farm. The witness also said Stevens spent most of his time in a recliner and Dennis Lewis had recently required Stevens to take on more responsibility on the farm. This witness told investigators that Dennis Lewis also told Stevens that he could no longer smoke inside the home.
On Tuesday night, detectives contacted Stevens at a home in Holts Summit. In that conversation, he said he had his .22-caliber rifle in the silver 2005 Dodge truck, which he admitted driving to Holts Summit, and that he put the rifle in the truck prior to leaving the Lewises home. Detectives found Stevens was convicted of a felony in 1980 and thus is not able to lawfully possess a firearm. Stevens also said Mary Lewis would be upset if she knew he took her vehicle.
On Thursday, detectives got a search warrant for the silver 2005 Dodge truck. During the search, they found a Marlin model 60 .22-caliber rifle. They found bloodstains on the rear sight and on the barrel and breech near the rear sight.
On Thursday, detectives interviewed Stevens in Holts Summit. During this interview, they say Stevens admitted that, prior to leaving the home in the Lewises' silver 2005 Dodge truck, he walked into the bedroom of Dennis and Mary Lewis, turned on the lights and shot them both.
