The Ray Lewis murder mystery: What is it? Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, who will make his ballroom debut this year, already has a number of well-known dance moves. Football fans may be familiar with the “Squirrel” dance performed by the former linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.
While we could look forward to a performance (or two) that mimics game-day moves, not everyone might be supporting the former NFL star. About 20 years ago, the professional athlete was charged with two murders. Does this imply Ray is exonerated of the crime?
Ray Lewis and the murder case
Lewis spent his entire 17-year playing career with the Baltimore Ravens after being selected by them in the 1996 NFL Draught.
In 2013, he quit the business. Throughout his career, Lewis was selected to participate in 13 Pro Bowls. Additionally, he played on two Super Bowl championship teams for the Ravens.
Has Ray Lewis been exonerated of murder?
Lewis spoke about the value of his career to the neighbourhood where his club played during his 2018 Football Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
Lewis wrote on Twitter, “Crime in Baltimore decreased when I played.” “I don’t think anyone can afford to be angry right now.
He said, “Everyone seems to want to rejoice and celebrate.” About twenty years prior to making his statement, Lewis was charged with a crime; this did not cause a party.
In January 2000, Lewis was accused of the murder of two men. The prominent Ravens player attended a Super Bowl party in Atlanta.
According to NPR, a fight that broke out on January 31 about 4 a.m. as a result of an altercation with Lewis’ associates resulted in the deaths of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar.
Later that evening, according to USA Today, a witness overheard Lewis telling friends, “I’m not trying to end my career like this,” before driving away in his limousine, where the victim’s blood was found. Lewis eventually came to his senses and accepted his guilt.
Did Ray Lewis get away with murder?
Ray Lewis was initially charged with murder in 2000, but he quickly had those charges withdrawn.
According to reports, the Baltimore Ravens player admitted to delaying justice and consented to give a witness statement against his two buddies, Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, who were also accused of murder.
The two other defendants were on trial for the killings of Richard Lollar and Jacinth Baker, which came about as a result of the Super Bowl party altercation. In the end, both Sweeting and Oakley’s murder charges were withdrawn.
No one else came forward to admit the stabbings. And the inquiry was still ongoing. A cousin of the victim [Baker] stated in an interview with USA Today in 2013 that “My nephew had been viciously assaulted and murdered, and nobody is paying for it.”
Lewis wasn’t charged with murder. However, the NFL fined him $250,000 for providing false information to the police. At the time, the NFL’s commissioner, Paul Tagliabue, reportedly told ABC News as much.
He said: “In doing so, he did significant damage to other NFL players and the league, as well as needlessly harming his livelihood and reputation.”
His nightmare was far from over because there were still unanswered concerns about Lewis’ role in the attacks. After Baker’s family sued Lewis for wrongful death in 2003, Smith’s family brought their complaint in 2004.
The NFL player reportedly paid both families unknown sums of money, according to CBS Sports. The most important question was what had become of the clothes Lewis had worn that evening.
The suit of Ray Lewis remains a mystery.
During the murder trial, a significant piece of evidence—the cream-colored suit Ray Lewis wore the night of the infamous Super Bowl party—was lost and never found.
In 2019, Richard Lollar’s brother, Handsome Lollar, asked USA Today, “Where’s that white suit that was all bloody?”Similar worries were voiced by the Jacinth Baker victim’s relatives.
Why would such information likewise have vanished if something else that implicated them in the murder had vanished that night? Greg Wilson, Baker’s uncle, spoke with USA Today.
The lawsuit that was filed against Lewis years ago included the missing suit as a key element.
Lewis argues that his treatment as a murder suspect has been unduly selective. The former Baltimore Raven talked about the stigma associated with him and the 2015 trial.
Lewis stated in 2015 to NPR, “But nobody ever wants to say that from day one, there was not one inch of evidence on me.” Lewis was scheduled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 until a few years later, when Baker and Lollar’s surviving family members were questioned over the former player’s involvement in the killings.
Lewis refused to respond when Sports Illustrated’s Robert Klemko questioned him about the incident.
Please respect that this is my space. Lewis told Klemko, “You need to find a place to live right away.” I’m done talking about the murder accusations in spite of the drama that looms.
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