JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — New details from the State Attorney’s Office reveal how investigators linked Terrell Lewis, the man accused of triple murder in April, to another murder case that happened weeks earlier in March.
Action News Jax told you on Saturday when the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Lewis was charged with murder in a separate case — the killing of a 24-year-old woman.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
There are four main pieces of evidence that were reviewed and they were witness statements, security footage, bullet casings and tracking Lewis’ cell phone the night of the murder that took place in March.
The family of Daniels said it’s still hard to believe that she’s gone.
“She was a good daughter, she was a good mom, a good sister,” her father Chaddrick Daniels said. “Just an outgoing, loving person.”
The warrant says the bullet casings found at both crime scenes matched.
“She was a good daughter, she was a good mom, a good sister,” her father Chaddrick Daniels said. “Just an outgoing, loving person.”
The warrant says the bullet casings found at both crime scenes matched.
RELATED: Amber Alert update: 8-year-old boy missing from Jacksonville found safe, father charged with murder
Investigators said in March, Lewis was following Daniels’ car closely and quickly, witnesses added he chased her down the road shooting into her car on Welland Road. JSO said she was shot twice in the face and later died at the hospital.
Her father, Chaddrick Daniels says she had just left his house not long before it happened.
“It was at like 8:48(p.m.), she made a left and I never saw her again and about 3:48 that morning I received a call from my mom that she had been shot,” he said.
It’s something Daniels’ grandmother, Betty Sapp says keeps her up at night.
“I was torn up. I have had sleepless nights, I couldn’t sleep I had to go to the hospital to get on medication to sleep,” she said.
The warrant says a witness was interviewed by the Child Protection Team, which will assist JSO on situations involving children up to 18-years-old, and the witness made a statement about Lewis killing a woman in a car that matched her SUV.
From there, investigators requested Lewis’ phone records and their digging found he was in the same area as Daniels the night of the shooting at the same time.
“I received a phone call about 8;02 in the morning and he said ‘hey, I got him.’” Daniels said.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Action News Jax law and safety expert, Dale Carson, said this was an impressive investigative strategy.
“The marks on the casings, that’s old evidence,” he said. “The use of the cell phone tracking is new, and the incorporation of three pieces of evidence — an eye witness, the tracking of shell casing, and tracking of a cell phone — tell us who the likely killer is. Certainly sufficient to bring that before a jury.”
Family tells Action News Jax that Deja Daniels has an 8-year-old son who they’re taking care of.
“Can’t nobody replace his mom but we’re going to do what we have to do,” he said.
Daniels says he wants Lewis to get the death penalty.
According to JSO’s jail website, Lewis will be back in court on June 23.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.