Criminal Justice
Slain lawyer was shot and his law office set on fire; divorce client was wife of suspect
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A lawyer who practiced family law in Lawrenceville, Georgia, was found dead with gunshot wounds Wednesday by emergency personnel responding to a fire at his office.
Police didn’t immediately identify the victim, but his family and the local bar association said the slain man was lawyer Douglas Lewis, report Fox 5 Atlanta, WSB-TV2, the Gwinnett Daily Post and 11Alive.
A family spokesperson said he was shot multiple times, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
The suspect, 65-year-old Allen Tayeh of Dacula, Georgia, was arrested on charges of fire and arson. Lewis had represented Tayeh’s wife in divorce proceedings. A hearing in the case was scheduled for next week.
11Alive described Lewis as a “popular, beloved” lawyer.
“Doug was a consummate gentleman,” said lawyer Phil McCurdy, who had been a courtroom adversary, as well as a co-counsel with Lewis in some cases. “I’ve never heard him raise his voice, I never saw him lose his temper. I never saw him treat anyone except with respect. … I don’t know anyone who didn’t respect him as a colleague, as a professional and as a human being.”
Lawrenceville Police Lt. Jake Parker told 11Alive that Tayeh was apprehended near the crime scene. Tayeh had a gun on him with spent cartridges, his pants had burn marks, and his hair had been singed, Parker told 11Alive and Fox 5 Atlanta.
