Cameron contended that the case in the slaying of Officer Chuck Cassidy had been made for premeditation. "That's all the law requires, that you form a thought," he said. "He pointed a gun at a Philadelphia police officer and shot him in the head. . . . It's first-degree murder."
He went on to say, "We can't ultimately say anything about a plea deal at this point."
On that point, Coard said, "All options are open."
For two days, witnesses went to the stand in a packed courtroom to implicate Lewis in a series of robberies that culminated in the shooting of Cassidy on Oct. 31. Cassidy died the following day.
The most damaging testimony came today. Two men who knew Lewis well said he had confessed. Three other witnesses identified Lewis as the gun-wielding robber in the West Oak Lane Dunkin' Donuts the day Cassidy was shot.
Lewis, 21, will be formally arraigned on Jan. 31, Municipal Court Judge Francis J. Cosgrove said as he ended the preliminary hearing shortly before 1 p.m. That proceeding will determine the charges on which Lewis can be tried.
Hakim Glover told the court that he advised his cousin to "go down South" when Lewis told him he was "going to kill another cop."
"He was a little bit hysterical," Glover said. "He wasn't in his right mind."
Herbert Hill, a corrections officer who works with Lewis' mother, followed Glover to the stand. Hill spoke about a conversation at the mother's house on Roosevelt Boulevard.
According to Hill, "The defendant said, 'I shot the cop.' "
Hill said he replied, "If you did that, you know you've got to turn yourself in."
Lewis refused, saying, "If the police come and get me it's going to be a mess," Hill recounted.
At this point, Hill was interested only in getting out of the house, he said. So he slipped out, drove a short distance, and called 911.
