Girlfriend testifies in chains at hearing of murder defendant

Molly Ball

Monday, Oct. 11, 2004 | 9:40 a.m.

Testifying in chains Friday after fleeing the courtroom the day before, an accused murderer's girlfriend said she had previously lied to the police for the same reason she ran from the courtroom -- to get home to her son.

Sebrina Lewis denied she was pressured or intimidated by 37-year-old Raymond Garrett, accused of beating a retired Air Force major to death in a Wal-Mart parking lot in June.

Confronted with statements she gave police in July, Lewis repeatedly said she didn't remember them, including the statement that Garrett had discussed the crime with her and told her he "may have been" the perpetrator.

In fact, Lewis said on Friday, that conversation with Garrett never happened. "I told them (police) everything that they wanted to hear so that I could get out of jail," Lewis said. "I had my son to take care of."

At the time, Lewis was being held on charges of aiding and abetting a murder. She received immunity from prosecution on those charges in exchange for her testimony, provided she told the truth.

Lewis was scheduled to testify Thursday morning but left after Garrett, a hulking man with a shaved head and a penetrating stare, allegedly told her, "Get out of here, you're (messing) things up."

On Friday, she said she didn't remember that happening. She said she left because she had been told she would testify in the morning, but it was "starting to turn into afternoon, so I left."

"I wanted to check on my boy," she said of her 1-year-old son by Garrett.

She denied that Garrett or his relatives or associates told her how to testify.

Police and a medical examiner also testified for the prosecution before Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle on Friday in the preliminary hearing that is scheduled to continue on Oct. 18.

Michael Born, 51, was attacked June 2 at the Wal-Mart on Stewart Avenue and Nellis Boulevard. He fell into a coma and died two weeks later.

Garrett is charged with murder, two counts of battery, five counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy to murder.

At the end of Lewis' testimony, Oesterle lectured her about the seriousness of subpoenas.

"You have to hang around (to testify), as inconvenient as that may be," she said.