2 convicted of kidnapping, killing 2 because the victims knew man who allegedly shot their friend

WASHINGTON (TCN) -- Two men will likely spend the rest of their lives in prison in connection with the deaths of two victims they reportedly killed in retaliation for the death of their friend.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced Aug. 20 that a federal jury convicted 26-year-old Malique Lewis and 28-year-old Marcel Vines of the 2017 armed kidnappings and "brutal revenge killings" of Armani Nico Coles and Kerrice Lewis. Malique Lewis, who also goes by "Freak," and Vines, also known as "Baby Boy," each face two consecutive mandatory minimum life sentences.

On Dec. 28, 2017, the victims’ friend allegedly fatally shot the defendants’ friend, Ronzay Green. Malique Lewis and Vines reportedly searched for the man responsible for Green’s death and ran into Kerrice Lewis. They recognized Kerrice Lewis as a friend of the man who allegedly killed Green, so they followed her.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Malique Lewis and Vines kidnapped Kerrice Lewis at gunpoint at an AutoZone parking lot between 2:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. that day. The defendants reportedly drove her in her own car "with the intent that she would lure the man who killed Green to them." However, Malique Lewis and Vines’ attempts were unsuccessful, so they used Kerrice Lewis’ phone to draw in Coles because they believed he could lead them to the man who allegedly shot Green.

At around 6 p.m., prosecutors said Malique Lewis and Vines abducted Coles and forced him into the back seat of Kerrice Lewis’ vehicle. They reportedly made Kerrice Lewis get into the trunk before the defendants proceeded to drive on an interstate in Maryland. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Malique Lewis and Vines shot Coles twice while on the road and pushed him out of the car, leaving him on the shoulder of the interstate. Malique Lewis and Vines reportedly drove to Washington, D.C., where they later opened the trunk and shot Kerrice Lewis at least 13 times. Prosecutors said they set her body and car on fire and then fled the scene.

Investigators recovered multiple pieces of evidence from the scene, including two firearms that were used to kill the victims and Vines’ fingerprints from an item that was pushed out of the vehicle with Coles. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Malique Lewis was also seen on surveillance footage from a McDonald’s drive-thru in Coles’ missing vehicle. Following the slayings, Malique Lewis reportedly sent text messages "bragging about them by sending news articles and saying, 'we ain’t done.'"

Authorities arrested Malique Lewis and Vines on unrelated charges in January 2018 before they were both charged with the murders of Kerrice Lewis and Coles in August 2018. They have been in custody since their January 2018 arrest.