80-year-old Fresno man accused of killing man over rent money will face murder trial

An 80-year-old Fresno man charged with fatally shooting his tenant in a dispute over rent will be put on trial for murder, a Fresno County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

Ira Gordon Lewis is accused of shooting Michael Brady, 56, on the morning of May 13 outside of a home near East Dakota and North Hayston avenues in Fresno.

Detective Rudy Montoya, testifying at Lewis’s preliminary hearing Tuesday, said Brady was shot three times — twice in the front torso and once in the back.

Montoya said Lewis had a heated argument with Brady about a month prior to the shooting over rent. A witness to the argument told police Lewis told Brady he was going to evict him.

Brady’s wife said the two men knew each other for decades. Brady and his wife rented a home from Lewis on Dakota for about two years. The large dusty corner lot had two homes on it. Lewis lived in the other home along with several other renters.

Victim’s wife describes scene when he died

The wife, who was not to be identified at the judge’s request, said her husband did small jobs around the property for Lewis.

The morning of the shooting, she was making breakfast for her two granddaughters when they heard two gunshots. She ran to the back door, looked out and saw her husband walking toward the house.

“Then I heard another pop sound and I see Mike fall down, face forward,” she testified. “I opened the door and ran out to him screaming.”

As she was running to her wounded husband, she saw Lewis walking back to his home.

She yelled, “Mike, Mike, Mike,” but he didn’t respond.

‘Cowboy style’ revolver found after search

When Detective Montoya arrived, he began to inspect the scene and interview possible witnesses including several tenants who lived on the property. Montoya discovered there were no shell casings in the area where the shooting happened.

That told him one of two things: Either the shooter picked up the shell casings or the gun used was a revolver that does not automatically eject shell casings.

He also found out that Lewis kept a “Cowboy style” revolver in a desk inside his home. The gun was found after an exhaustive search of the property.

Although there were no eyewitnesses who saw Lewis shoot Brady, Judge John Vogt said the circumstantial evidence all points to Lewis as being the shooter.

“The only reasonable inference that can be drawn from the evidence presented here today is that Mr. Lewis had to be the person that inflicted the fatal wound,” the judge said.

Pre-trial release request denied by judge

Lewis’s defense attorney, Keegan Smith, requested that Lewis be released while he waits for his trial. Lewis’s bail is $1.5 million.

Smith argued said Lewis is elderly, not in good health and does not pose a safety risk to the community.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Liz Owen disagreed with Smith. She said Lewis is facing 50 years to life in prison if he is convicted on all counts.

“And as far as being a danger to the community, he has already shown that by shooting another individual,” she said.

The judge denied the request for pre-trial release.

Lewis’s next hearing is set for June 30 in Dept. 31.