Boy Who Bragged About Murder Gets Life Sentence
18 year-old Raheem Benson from Colorado has been ordered to serve life in prison on Friday for the death of 33-year-old Nicholas Lewis in Englewood. According to reports Benson had boasted about the murder on social media.
Benson allegedly targeted Lewis at random while the chef was walking home from a convenience store in October 2016. Prosecutors said the then-16-year-old Benson shot him three times, including in the heart. Lewis was found lying on his back on the sidewalk and rushed to a hospital, where he later died.
Benson then reportedly took to Facebook to brag about the slaying. He also posted photos in which he posed with the mask he wore and the gun he used, the Denverite reported. Police were able to link Benson to the crime from a vehicle seen on security camera footage.
Benson was found guilty of first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery in March. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
District Attorney George H. Brauchler expressed disappointment Friday that the teen’s sentence included the possibility of parole after 40 years.
Brauchler said: “Benson murdered for the mere thrill of killing another person. At any age, this can only be described as evil. Colorado’s system is now set up to ensure that this cold-blooded murderer will again walk our streets, likely as early as in his 40s. We can only hope that his heart is turned away from darkness in the couple of decades he is incarcerated and we are safe from him.”
