By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
EL RENO – A Moore man has pleaded no contest and been sentenced to prison for taking the life of a woman nearly two years ago in a Yukon-area shooting.
Javier Devonte Lewis, 20, was convicted in Canadian County District Court of first-degree murder (deliberate intent), assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, pattern of criminal offenses, and endangering others while eluding police officer.
Lewis signed written “no contest” pleas to the felony charges on Feb. 13 – 11 days before his 20th birthday.
Lewis had faced the death penalty or life in prison for shooting to death Yukon’s Emilia Koteen, 38, outside a home in the 12000 block of S.W. 15th Terrace in Yukon.
Lewis was 18 in April 2021 when he fatally shot the victim in the head with a handgun, court documents show.
Canadian County District Judge Paul Hesse sentenced Lewis to serve life in state prison for the murder and assault with a dangerous weapon, two years for the pattern of criminal offenses, and five years for eluding a police officer.
Those sentences will run concurrent on all counts and four other criminal cases filed while Lewis was an inmate at the Canadian County Jail – first-degree arson (35 years), aggravated assault and battery (five years) and two assault and battery (90 days) charges.
Lewis set fire inside a jail cell and attacked fellow inmates several times while housed at the county lock-up.
The defendant had entered a not guilty plea and was advised of his rights to a speedy trial at a formal arraignment hearing in January. A jury trial had been set May 1 before Judge Hesse.
Instead, Lewis will head to state prison to serve his life sentence.
VICTIM ‘BROUGHT HAPPINESS TO ALL’
Canadian County prosecutors charged Lewis on May 4, 2021, alleging he caused Koteen’s death “with malice aforethought”.
Koteen’s obituary described her as a “daughter, sister, wife, mother and dear friend to many” and the “best mom there was”:
“She loved everyone around her. She brought happiness to all no matter her pain.”
Oklahoma City Police investigated the fatal shooting since it occurred in its jurisdiction, south of Interstate 40.
Officers responded at 12:43 a.m. April 19, 2021, to the shooting south of Yukon.
Lewis shot and killed Koteen in her driveway after firing shots at another family member.
Lewis then led police on a high-speed chase through Oklahoma City neighborhoods after committing the murder and assault.
While trying to evade capture, the defendant rammed a police car with his vehicle.
After his arrest that morning, Lewis was booked into the Canadian County Jail.
In October 2021, then-District Judge Jack D. McCurdy II found probable cause that Lewis committed the crimes and bound him over for trial.
Judge Hesse took over the case upon McCurdy’s retirement in November 2022.
Attorney Jason Spanich is Lewis’ indigent defender.
