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California Teen's Boyfriend Allegedly Stabbed Her To Death, Then Ran Over Her Body
Saraiah Acosta had been dating Devian Lewis on and off for the last two years. Police say he killed her last week, then led them on a high-speed chase before he was shot.
A California teen was found stabbed to death and run over with a car, and police suspect her on-again, off-again boyfriend is responsible.
Police in Rancho Cordova, California — a western suburb of Sacramento — were called to a home at 1:17 p.m. on Feb. 1 by a caller who said that a man had stabbed a young woman and then ran her over with a car, the police and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said in a joint press release. Responding officers found Saraiah Acosta, 18, suffering from stab wounds and, despite medical assistance, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators nearly immediately identified Devian Lewis, 22, as the suspect, and told Sacramento NBC affiliate KCRA that the two had been in an on-again, off-again relationship from two years prior to the homicide.
Investigators then learned that the California Highway Patrol was in a pursuit with Lewis going eastbound on Interstate 80 near Dixon (which is about 35 miles west of Rancho Cordova). Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies joined the pursuit, following Lewis east through downtown Sacramento, where he turned southbound on state Route 99.
At 4:40 p.m., police in Elk Grove — which is 15 miles south of Rancho Cordova — were notified of the pursuit as it neared them, shortly before Lewis got off the highway and headed into their city, according to a press release from that department. Lewis then allegedly rear-ended another car just over a mile from where he got off the highway, with Elk Grove officers at that point in pursuit.
Lewis, Elk Grove police say, then exited the vehicle "holding what appeared to be a firearm." Three Elk Grove police fired their weapons at Lewis and he was hit three times.
A firearm, later determined to be a replica, was allegedly found on the passenger seat of his car; the department posted on Facebook an alleged picture of the gun on a car seat.
Lewis was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital for treatment. The sheriff's office told KCRA last week that they planned to book him on murder and other charges after his release. He is not currently listed as an inmate in the Sacramento County Jail.
Acosta's family told Sacramento ABC affiliate KXTV that she graduated from high school in 2022. They held a vigil for her on Thursday evening.
"I guess, you just never really know how loved your children, your niece, your nephews are when they walk out of that house and the blessing she's put into the community," her aunt, Angela Martinez, told the station. "The turnout was just amazing."
"Everybody wanted to be around her because she was the one that danced and she lived life," she added. "You put on R. Kelly, that girl was dancing. You put on oldies, she was singing. She was the life of the party."
Loved ones have started a GoFundMe to help raise money for Acosta's funeral and the family's other expenses.
Elk Grove police and the Sacramento District Attorneys Office are conducting independent investigations into the Lewis shooting, the department said. The three officers were placed on administrative leave in accordance with departmental policy.
