BUFFALO, N.Y. — A 40-year-old woman from Buffalo is now charged in the 2005 stabbing death of her mother.
Lashawn Lewis is charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutors say she stabbed Lateyfa Lewis, 50, more than 40 times inside the victim's Orange Street home on Aug. 4, 2005.
If convicted, Lewis faces 25 years to life in prison.
She was already serving a 90-day sentence for drug charges. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said Lewis was on parole for a previous felony when she was arrested on the drug charges. He did not say what the previous felony charge was for.
Flynn did not release details about what led up to Lewis' eventual arrest. He said more details will come out during trial. Flynn credited a Buffalo Police cold case squad with helping.
"This is a circumstantial evidence case, so anytime you have circumstantial evidence you have to fit all the pieces together. Recently this case was re-looked at. This case was reevaluated. Whenever you reevaluate a case and take a third, fourth, fifth look at it, then sometimes you can put the pieces of a circumstantial case together, and they become clearer," said Flynn.