LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A judge sentenced a man to 78 years in prison for the September 2022 deadly shooting of a woman in the parking lot of a Walmart in Lafayette.
In January, Anthony J. Perez pleaded guilty in the shooting and killing of 33-year-old Casey Marie Lewis on Sept. 4, 2022.
On Monday, the judge said Perez will serve 58 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
According to court documents, Perez and Lewis, who had been in a relationship, were shopping at the Walmart in the 4200 block of Commerce Drive, near Interstate 65, around 8:30 p.m.
The two then left the store and walked to Lewis' van. According to court documents, Perez told investigators the two had been arguing about money issues. Perez allegedly said Lewis would not stop screaming at him, so he got his gun out in an attempt to intimidate her into being quiet.
Perez then claimed, according to court documents, that he fired two shots inside the van to show Lewis he was serious, and one of the shots hit Lewis in the back. Perez then said he left the gun in the van and ran.
According to police, Perez had an active warrant in Tippecanoe County for escape after cutting off his home detention bracelet.
The prosecutor's office said Perez hid in Indianapolis before taking a bus headed toward California. Five days after the shooting, police caught Perez in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was taken into custody without incident.