Murderer Flips the Bird at Victims' Family in Court
ROLLING MEADOWS -- Relatives of his victims cheered Friday as Ralph Lewis was convicted of first-degree murder for triggering a high-speed crash that killed a 16-year-old and injured two other teens in 2006.
As the cheers subsided, Lewis, 28, leaned back in his chair, flashed both middle fingers at the victims' families and smiled broadly at them across the courtroom.
A Cook County jury convicted Lewis, formerly of Chicago, of murder, aggravated battery, unlawful restraint and possession of a stolen vehicle. Lewis was fleeing police in a stolen rental truck when he ran a red light and broadsided the teens' car in Buffalo Grove.
Family members outside the courtroom said they were focusing on the guilty verdicts -- not Lewis' reaction.
"I don't care as long as he was found guilty. He can smile until kingdom come,'' said Lola Hirsch, whose grandson, Corey Diamond, died in the crash on July 23, 2006.
Relatives were relieved Lewis was convicted of murder -- which carries a prison term of between 20 and 60 years -- and not a lesser charge of reckless homicide, which defense attorneys had sought.
"Justice was served,'' said Allyson Cellini, whose son, Elliot, 18, was severely injured in the crash. He's still going through physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Brandon Forshall's injuries were less serious. All three teens were students at Buffalo Grove High School at the time of the crash.
Cook County prosecutors argued that Lewis should be convicted of murder because he knew his wild driving as he fled police was bound to trigger a deadly crash.
During the trial, multiple witnesses testified that Lewis, driving a stolen U-Haul rental truck, forced them to swerve off the road or onto medians to avoid being hit. Police at one point clocked the truck at 80 mph on Milwaukee Avenue in Lincolnshire.
"He knew from where he sat that someone was going to be killed or hurt -- and he didn't care,'' said prosecutor Thomas Byrne, urging jurors to convict Lewis.
Defense attorney Helen Tsimouris argued that Lewis should be acquitted of the murder charge because he was trying to escape from police, not harm anyone.
"He's thoughtless, careless and reckless, but he's not guilty of first-degree murder,'' Tsimouris said.
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