A man found guilty of shooting his wife in her sleep was found dead by gunshot in his Parkersburg, West Virginia apartment Tuesday, and Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn regrets his initial reaction to that.
Thursday, Blackburn admitted to making an insensitive statement “relating to suicide in general,” in light of the death of Jerry Lewis, 60.
“After reflection, I would like to apologize for what came out as an insensitive statement about the death of Jerry Lewis,” he said in a news release. “It’s a tragic ending to a really terrible situation.”
Blackburn said that he not only apologizes to those affected by Lewis’ death, but to everyone who has been touched by suicide.
On Sept. 17, Lewis was charged with assault, theft and forgery, felonies of the second, fifth and fifth degrees, respectively. He was indicted in Aug. 2011 for the non-fatal shooting of his wife, Connie, and the theft of $1,200 worth of checks from her purse, according to a previous Post article.
During his trial, Lewis made the argument that Connie was contemplating suicide, and that he shot her to fulfill her wishes, according to court documents.
He and Connie were in the process of a divorce.
The Parkersburg Police Department ordered an autopsy of Lewis’s body, but the results are not yet available.
“I am sorry to everyone that has been hurt by my comments,” Blackburn said in the release. “If I could take the words back, I would.”
@KellyPFisher
