Clemency Petition from East Texas Killer Rejected

HUNTSVILLE (AP) – The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has rejected a clemency request from an East Texas man facing execution next week for a fatal shooting during a home robbery more than 22 years ago. The board voted 7-0 Friday to not recommend clemency for 50-year-old Rickey Lynn Lewis. He’s set for lethal injection Tuesday evening in Huntsville. Lewis, from Tyler, was condemned for killing 45-year-old George Newman during a break-in at Newman’s Smith County home in September 1990. Newman’s fiance was raped and tied up but survived and managed to call police. Lewis already had a long criminal record when he was arrested for the slaying. Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Two other men involved in the break-in never have been caught.