The Murder of Alisha Canales-McGuire
Warning, this case does discuss domestic violence.
For this case, I watched an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn. It’s season 25 episode 1, titled ‘From Zero to Murder.’
A young woman is killed while babysitting her nieces and nephew.
Background
Alisha Canales-McGuire was only 24-years-old at the time of her death. She worked as an aid at an assisted living facility, and cared deeply for others. Alisha had just gotten married in July, and was looking forward to starting a family of her own.
Alisha was described as having a big personality and very compassionate.
Alisha Canales-McGuire
The Murder
On September 20, 2017, Alisha was babysitting her 2 nieces and nephew at the home of her sister, Amanda Canales. Amanda lived in Everett, Washington, but was out of town in New York for a business trip. Amanda’s live-in nanny was also in the house.
Around 1:56am, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call. The call was from the live-in nanny, and she reported hearing gunshots. She told the dispatcher that she found Alisha lying in a pool of blood near the front door.
Deputy Art Wallin was one of the first officers to arrive. He walked up to door, which had blood on the outside and on the corner of the door. Deputy Wallin was told that Alisha was right near the door, but he was able to get inside. In a room nearby, Alisha’s nephew looked terrified. He and his two sisters were escorted from the house.
The police also found several shell casings outside the home. It was believed that the shooter had stood behind the corner waiting for Alisha to peer outside to see who was at the door. Alisha had been shot once outside the home, and 3 more times right inside the front door.
A Person of Interest
The first person that the police looked into was Alisha’s new husband. However, he had an alibi, and had been at work.
It didn’t seem like Alisha had any enemies, and had no plans to do anything other than babysit her nieces and nephew that night.
When the police canvassed the area, they learned that a neighbor had seen a male about 6’0” running away to a car nearby. After hearing this description, Deputy Art Wallin believed that the shooter was Amanda’s estranged husband, Kevin Lewis.
Deputy Wallin had responded to Amanda’s home on several occasions for domestic violence situations. Amanda also agreed that Kevin was probably involved, and that she was his intended target, not Alisha.
Amanda said Kevin was ex-military, so he had the training. Amanda had gone to court to get a protective order against Kevin, which he violated. On two separate occasions before the murder, Kevin had been prowling outside the house trying to break in. Deputy Wallin had responded to both situations, but couldn’t arrest or charge Kevin with anything.
On June 21, Amanda was beaten in her driveway as she got out of her car. Amanda said she wasn’t able to see if it was Kevin because she had gotten blood in her eyes. Amanda said she knew it was Kevin, though.
Amanda Canales and Kevin Lewis
The Surveillance
The police went to Kevin’s home to speak with him. They notified him that there had been a shooting at Amanda’s house, but that Amanda was alive. Kevin never asked about the well-being of his kids, and said he had been at home with his mom and sister all night. His mom and sister corroborated the alibi.
The police searched around Kevin’s neighborhood for any surveillance footage to prove he was lying. One of the neighbors had a camera that was pointed in the direction of Kevin’s driveway.
At 1:12am, a car arrives in Kevin’s driveway. A figure that is believed to be Kevin gets into the passenger seat. At 1:15am, the car leaves the house. At 1:34am, the car returns, and Kevin can be seen walking back inside. The police were stunned that Kevin was at home at 1:56am when the shots were fired and when the 911 call was placed.
The police had sent in the shell casings from the crime scene to the Washington State Crime Lab. The ammunition was a Russian brand called Tulammo. Detective Tedd Betts knew that Walmart had sold this type of ammunition, and obtained the purchase records and surveillance footage.
The Walmart surveillance was a dead end. There was a man that had purchased the Tulammo ammunition, but he had an alibi and no connection to Kevin.
The Tip
The case cooled off for a bit until a woman in Spokane contacted the police in August 2018. The police weren’t sure what to think as Spokane was about 5 hours from Everett.
The woman said she attended a party with someone who called herself Angelika. Angelika had been bragging about a murder that occurred in Everett. The woman told the police that Angelika said someone had been shot in the head, there was a corner that the gunman stood behind, and that the wrong person had been killed. This information hadn’t been released to the public.
The woman was asked if Angelika had been the shooter. The woman said no, Angelika said it was her boyfriend, Jerradon ‘Jay’ Phelps, who had been the shooter.
Detective Eric Fagan searched through social media hoping to find Angelika. Angelika was her alias, and her real name was actually Alexis Hale. Alexis’ boyfriend, Jerradon had several social media accouts too, and thought he was Twitter famous.
The police also learned that Jerradon was Kevin’s cousin, which meant Kevin was probably involved like they believed all along.
The Plot
The police were able to track Alexis and Jerradon through their social media and phone records from the night of September 20. At 3:47am, Alexis had posted a SnapChat video of Jerradon fanning money. Alexis had also posted several photos of herself holding a pistol, which is believed to have been the murder weapon.
The police used Alexis’ social media to pinpoint her location before the murder. At 12:49am, Alexis had posted a SnapChat video while she was driving down the interstate near Amanda’s home.
A search warrant had been obtained for Kevin and Jerradon’s phones too. Kevin had shown Jerradon where Amanda lived, and Jerradon had searched the address in his Google Maps.
The police wanted to get Kevin off the streets, so he couldn’t come back to hurt Amanda and their kids. Kevin was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. Jerradon and Alexis were also picked up. The police hoped that one of them would confess, but they didn’t think it would Jerradon.
Jerradon admitted that Kevin had paid him $2,400 to kill Amanda. He didn’t know until later that he had killed the wrong person. Jerradon agreed to ride with the police to walk them through what happened on September 20.
Jerradon said he hid behind the corner, and that Alexis knocked on the door. Jerradon said they thought someone would open the door to a woman. Once Alisha opened the door, Jerradon shot her. Jerradon said Alisha was able to run and close the door, but he opened it, stuck his gun inside, and shot 3 more times. Jerradon said he didn’t wait to see if she was dead, and just ran.
The Convictions
In 2020, Jerradon Phelps and Alexis Hale agreed to plead guilty to first degree murder. Jerradon was sentenced to 31 1/2 years, and Alexis to 15 years.
Jerradon Phelps
In November 2021, it took the jury less than 3 hours to convict Kevin of premeditated first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. He had also received 39 months for his arrest for domestic abuse in 2018.
Kevin Lewis
FINAL THOUGHTS
My heart truly goes out to Amanda and her kids. Amanda said she feels guilty about bringing Kevin into their lives, and not being there to take her sister’s place. Amanda shouldn’t feel guilty at all. She tried to get away from Kevin, but he kept coming back to terrorize her. Kevin plotted to have Amanda killed, but instead killed Alisha because he’s a fucking lowlife. I hope all 3 of them rot in prison. The fact that Jerradon and Alexis agreed to this for money is sick.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/alisha-canales-mcguire-murder/
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/shooter-testifies-in-everett-murder-for-hire-trial/
