Allen Tayeh kills his ex-wife’s divorce lawyer Doug Lewis and sets Lewis’ office in Georgia on fire thereafter. This rare murder case of a lawyer shocked the legal community of Lawrenceville in Georgia, says Vargas.
On December 7, Allen Tayeh, 65, shot Attorney Doug Lewis, 55, to his death and set Lewis’ office on fire thereafter. According to reports, Tayeh was the estranged husband of Lewis’ client, a woman whom Lewis represents in the process of divorce. After the shooting, Lawrenceville Police accused Tayeh of dousing Lewis’ office all over with gasoline and setting the building on fire. When the firefighters arrived to put the fire out, they discovered Lewis’ slain body.The police have identified Tayeh as the primary suspect after a witness outside the law office testified. According to the witness, Tayeh had been seen near the office, suffering burns while carrying a revolver. Tayeh was also allegedly seen in a location that reeked of gasoline. Tayeh was then convicted of counts of malice murder and arson.
Threat to Lawyers
This murder and arson case on Lewis has definitely shocked the legal community, especially in Lawrenceville. According to the American Bar Association Journal, cases of physical assault on lawyers have been rare. However, they also claimed that surveys from 2018 show that violence against family lawyers was more likely to happen than attorneys from other divisions of law, as reported by Vargas.