A Chattanooga man serving back-to-back life sentences for two murders had a third murder charge against him dismissed.
Terrence Lewis received a life sentence for the December 2020 murder of Randy Williams, 29. Lewis also received a life sentence for the December 2017 murder of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga student Evan Derry, 20.
Lewis, 28, was facing a third first-degree murder charge in connection with the 2020 fatal shooting of Pierre Casseus, but it was dismissed Thursday, according to the Hamilton County Criminal Court clerk’s website.
Prosecutors needed to balance the resources and time it would take to try Casseus’ case with the likelihood of conviction after Lewis received back-to-back life sentences, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said by email.
“There is no amount of prison time that would be enough for Terrence Lewis,” Wamp said. “We discussed this with (Casseus’) family, and while there will never be closure for them, they understand why this is the best outcome.”