'The jury got it right': Roommate found not guilty of murder

INDIANAPOLIS — A 34-year-old man accused in his roommate’s killing was found not guilty by a Marion County jury Friday.

Dawaun Lewis was released from custody after the four-day trial. He had been facing a murder charge in connection with the March 2022 fatal shooting of 43-year-old William Romero.

“Mr. Lewis from day one has denied that he did this,” said the man’s attorney Ian Fleming. “Ultimately, the jury got it right.”

Romero, who had recently moved to Indianapolis from Panama City Beach, Florida, was found dead on March 17, 2022.

His body was located by a man walking a dog around Trilobi Drive, near Lee Road and Fort Harrison State Park. Romero’s body was in a wooded area covered in leaves, according to the Lawrence Police Department.

An autopsy by the Marion County Coroner’s Office determined Romero had been shot in the head, and the coroner ruled his death a homicide.

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Romero and Lewis lived together, about 3 miles from where the body was found. They worked together at a McDonald’s restaurant in Fishers.

March 12, 2022, was the last day Romero was seen alive. Investigators said the two men left work together at 1:27 a.m. then Romero failed to show up for his shift at the restaurant later in the day.

Surveillance footage and license plate readers indicated Lewis continued to drive Romero's car to work following Romero’s disappearance, investigators wrote in a probable cause affidavit for Lewis’ arrest.

“Mr. Lewis' behavior was inconsistent with the motive the state provided, which was that Mr. Lewis killed his roommate to steal his car,” Fleming said.

Lewis continued to shop for his own vehicle even after Romero went missing, the man’s attorney said. The circumstances of how Romero’s body was found suggested he may have been killed by someone other than his roommate, Fleming said.

"That combined with some evidence that was not tested for DNA just left the jury unsure,” Fleming said. “Mr. Lewis is very much relieved. This has been a trying experience for him."

Lewis had been in custody for almost two years before he was acquitted and released.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lawrence man found not guilty in 2022 murder of roommate