Jermard Lewis, charged with the murder of Waynedale Kroger employee Perla Nieto in December 2023, testified in his own defense on Thursday, offering a chilling explanation for the fatal stabbing. His testimony, which lasted 25 minutes, revealed little remorse for the crime.
The trial centered around two separate encounters between Lewis and Nieto. According to Lewis, the first interaction occurred around 10:30 a.m. on December 7, 2023. Lewis claimed he heard his name called on the store’s intercom, but when he asked Nieto about it, she denied calling his name.
Lewis described the exchange as “rude” but claimed he wasn’t being combative, despite witnesses testifying otherwise. During this altercation, Nieto called for a manager, and Lewis said he was allowed to continue shopping. However, Lewis stated that Nieto told him to leave, even though he felt the manager had more authority, WANE reported.
Lewis explained that he didn’t appreciate how Nieto spoke to him, claiming she told him to “shut up” multiple times. Frustrated, he left the store with his girlfriend. According to Lewis, his girlfriend was upset by how he was treated.
After dropping his girlfriend off at home, Lewis returned to Kroger around 11:06 a.m., stating he wanted to resolve the situation with the manager. However, when he entered the store, Nieto was the first person he encountered. Lewis said that upon touching her shoulder, she began to strike and slap him. That’s when, according to Lewis, he began stabbing Nieto with a pocket knife that he kept in his car.
“I stabbed her enough times not to care,” Lewis testified. This statement caused several of Nieto’s family members to visibly react in the courtroom. Forensic evidence showed that Nieto had six wounds, three of which were stab wounds. When asked about the discrepancy between his account and the autopsy findings, Lewis maintained he stabbed Nieto several times out of anger and frustration.
On cross-examination, the lead prosecutor, Tesa Helge, questioned whether striking someone justified killing them. She also introduced testimony from a Kroger employee who claimed Lewis had threatened to “come back and kill” Nieto. Lewis denied making the threat.
Helge pointed to surveillance footage showing Lewis parking near the store before returning and heading straight for Nieto upon entering. Lewis claimed to have never seen the footage but did not deny the video’s content.
As the trial nears its end, the defense has requested manslaughter charges due to Lewis’s claim that he acted in the heat of the moment. However, the judge noted that his testimony did not reflect sudden rage. Closing arguments will take place on Friday morning, and the jury will soon begin deliberations.