Man sentenced to 26 years for 2020 sexual assault, murder of Milwaukee woman in public park

Prosecutors said the attack was racially motivated because the suspects yelled anti-Asian slurs at the victim, who is Hmong American

via Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Ee Lee

A young man will spend 26 years behind bars for his role in the brutal sexual assault and murder of a Hmong American woman in 2020.

The sentencing: Kamare R. Lewis, 19, was sentenced to 26 years in prison and 19 years of extended supervision for the 2020 rape and murder of 36-year-old Ee Lee. He previously pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide and second-degree sexual assault, both as a party to a crime.

The other suspect: Lewis was charged alongside Kevin T. Spencer, Jr., who also pleaded guilty to the same charges. Spencer is set to be sentenced on Aug. 3.

The crime: The sexual assault, which was filmed and uploaded on Facebook Messenger, reportedly occurred under a tree at Milwaukee’s Washington Park on the night of Sept. 16, 2020. Lewis, then 17, and Spencer, then 15, raped Lee in front of others, according to prosecutors. Afterward, they beat and dragged her into a pond. A bystander found Lee next to the pond and called 911.

Kamare R. Lewis. via Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office

The aftermath: Lee suffered severe injuries and was taken to a hospital, where she died three days later. Surveillance videos, as well as bystander testimonies, helped authorities zero in on Lewis and Spencer as suspects. They were arrested and charged in 2021. A third person, identified only as KG, was sought as a person of interest.

KG’s role: KG was allegedly with Lewis and Spencer when they first encountered Lee on a blanket in the park. Lewis said they harassed her, while KG combed through her belongings looking for money. As the situation escalated, KG walked away. After the attack, Spencer called KG to tell him that he and Lewis had continued beating Lee and that they were “getting her from back and front.”