An Arkansas woman charged in the kidnapping and killing of a real estate agent has pleaded guilty to reduced charges in exchange for agreeing to testify against her estranged husband, who is also charged in the death.
Crystal Lowery, 41, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in the slaying of 50-year-old Beverly Carter, a married mother of two and grandmother of four.
Carter disappeared last September after leaving to show a house in a rural area east of Little Rock.
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Plea deal: Crystal Lowery, 41, (left) was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in the slaying of 50-year-old realtor Beverly Carter (right)
'Partners in crime': Lowery (right) pleaded guilty to reduced charges in exchange for agreeing to testify against her estranged husband, Arron Lewis, who is accused of killing Carter last September
Untimely apology: Lowery, pictured here in court last fall, said at her sentencing she was sorry for Carter's death
Lowery was initially charged with capital murder, but a deputy prosecutor says the count was reduced after Lowery agreed to testify against her husband, Arron Lewis, who has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and kidnapping charges.
As she was being led out of the courtroom filled with the victim’s family and friends after her sentencing, a reporter asked Lowery if she was sorry for her actions.
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Share'Yes, I'm sorry for her [Carter’s] death,' she replied
Prosecutor John Johnson said in court that investigators identified Lowery and her estranged husband as suspects in Beverly Carter's killing after finding records showing communication between Carter's cellphone and that of Lewis, reported Arkansas Online.
At the time of his arrest, police officers learned that the suspect was in possession of the dead realtor’s phone.
Electronic trail: Investigators have found records showing communication between Carter's (left) cellphone and that of Lewis (right). At the time of his arrest, the suspect was in possession of the dead woman's device
Investigators later found additional evidence that Crystal Lowery took part in Beverly Carter’s kidnapping and slaying.
According to court documents, the couple abducted the married mother of two ‘for ransom or reward… with the purpose of terrorizing her or another person’.
Investigators found the body of Beverly Carter September 30 at Argos Concrete Company in a rural area about 25 miles northeast of Little Rock.
Hours later, Arron Lewis was charged with capital murder, kidnapping and multiple counts of gun possession.
Carter's body was discovered buried in a shallow grave and bound with duct tape more than 20 miles away from Scott, where she had an appointment to show a house five days earlier.
According to ABC News, the home had been foreclosed, and Mrs Carter, who worked for the Crye-Leike real estate company in Little Rock, was showing it to a buyer she had never met, who said he could pay in cash.
Calculated crime: According to court documents, Lewis (left and right) and his estranged wife abducted the married mother of two ‘for ransom or reward'. The man has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him
Violent end: Carter, pictured with her husband and two of her four grandchildren, was found buried in a shallow grave in September 2014
Her husband of 35 years, Carl Carter, said he received unusual texts from her number after she went missing.
Lewis was apprehended in Little Rock by the local police at around 10am September 29 in connection with the case.
As he was being led in handcuffs to a car to be transported to Pulaski County Jail, a KARK reporter asked Lewis if he killed Beverly Carter.
'No,' he replied, adding that he has not seen her for two days.
In response to a reporter's question 'why Beverly?' he replied: 'Because she was just a woman that worked alone, a rich broker.'
The 33-year-old is scheduled to go on trial early next year. His wife will appear as a witness for the prosecution
The sheriff's office revealed the 33-year-old is an active parolee with a long criminal history, including charges of felony theft; accomplice to theft; unlawful removal of theft device; obstruction of government operations, and other counts.
Lewis also has rap sheets in Kansas City, Missouri, and in Utah. He was released on parole in Arkansas in August 2013.
Lowery was arrested on October 30 at her home in Jacksonville, Arkansas.
According to Lowery's divorce petition from October obtained by the station KATV last year, Lowery and Lewis separated in August 2014, just four months after their wedding.
The court documents state that when Lowery married Lewis, she was not aware that he was a 'seven time convicted felon'.
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