ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – A 26-year-old Maplewood man is accused of robbing a man at gunpoint before shooting and killing him after the victim tried to buy a cell phone from him on Craigslist, according to charges filed Monday in Ramsey County Court.
Steven Emmanuel Lewis was charged with one felony count of second-degree murder and one felony count of first-degree aggravated robbery in connection with the incident, which happened last Friday in St. Paul.
According to the charges, the victim, identified as 19-year-old Aung Thu Bo, and his girlfriend met a man, later identified as Lewis, in a restaurant parking lot on the 1000 block of Hudson Road. They were there to buy a cell phone that Lewis had posted an ad for on Craigslist. Lewis allegedly persuaded the couple to go to his house, where they could get the charger for the phone.
The couple let Lewis into their car, and he proceeded to pull a gun and say “Give me what you got,” the complaint states. Lewis held the gun to Bo’s head, and while leaning forward to search his pockets, he shot Bo in the head. Lewis allegedly ran from the scene while the victim’s girlfriend screamed for help.
Police later tracked Lewis down and arrested him. Bo was transported to the hospital, but died Saturday from a gunshot wound to the head.
Aung Thu Bo, according to the victim’s friend Thetlia Moe, was a computer engineering student at Hamline University. He worked at both a University computer lab and a nursing home.
“He was very nice and very friendly. He always made us laugh,” said Moe. “He was really nice and a calm guy. He didn’t have any problems with anybody.”
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi made the following statement about the incident:
“This is a case that really shocks the consciousness of the community and we will pursue justice for the victim and the victim’s family vigorously,” said Choi.
A review of Steven Lewis’s criminal history shows he has four previous felony convictions. They include violating an order of protection, which he was in court for about two weeks ago and entered a guilty plea and felony domestic abuse in May.
If convicted on the current charges, Lewis faces up to 60 years in prison and a $35,000 fine.
