Ga. man pleads guilty to killing ex-wife’s divorce attorney and setting his office on fire
06/22/2023 1:16 pm PDT
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. (TCD) -- A 65-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison for shooting and killing his ex-wife’s divorce attorney, then setting the victim’s office on fire last year.
The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office announced Allen Tayeh pleaded guilty Wednesday, June 21, to malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, arson, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, criminal attempt to conceal a death, and tampering with evidence. A grand jury indicted him on those charges in February.
A judge subsequently sentenced Tayeh to life in prison without parole plus five years.
During the early evening on Dec. 7, the Lawrenceville Police Department and Gwinnett County Fire Department responded to 154 Stone Mountain St. regarding a fire at Douglas Lewis' law office. Lewis had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head, one of which was "almost immediately fatal."
He was already dead by the time the flames broke out. Investigators believe Tayeh used gasoline to start the fire, which matched up with gas cans found in his vehicle, which was parked next to Lewis’ car. His car keys were reportedly near Lewis’ body inside the building.
The district attorney’s office said police found Tayeh nearby with singed eyebrows and hair and burns on his hands, legs, and face. He reportedly had a .38 revolver in his possession.
According to the statement, Lewis represented Tayeh’s ex-wife in a divorce trial. A judge ordered Tayeh to pay Lewis' attorney fees, which he had not done. The judge presiding over the divorce issued a notice for Tayeh to "return to court for contempt of court hearings based on the failure to pay those fees."
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