MMA – UFC Murder Scandal: Charles “Mask” Lewis Verdict In
By Sean Farrell
Judge Richard Toohey reached his verdict in the murder case of Tapout Co-founder Charles “Mask” Lewis.
Just minutes before 1:00 am on March 11, 2009, Lewis was killed in a high-speed car wreck, after his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver in Newport Beach, California. Lewis’ Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, a racing version of the Ferrari 360 Modena collided with a 1977 Porsche before slamming into a light pole. It was presumed that the two vehicles were traveling alongside one another at high-speed, and were most likely involved in a “street race”. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene. 23-year-old Lacy Lynn White, a female passenger of Lewis’s, was ejected and thrown from the vehicle and was taken to a hospital. She suffered a fractured elbow and lacerations. The driver of the Porsche Jeffery Kirby was arrested for “alcohol-related gross vehicular manslaughter”.
Today, Judge Toohey cited that Kirby had two previous DUI convictions, one at age 27 and the other at age 43, and confirmed both men had been driving at dangerously high speed as influences on his sentencing decision. Jeffery Kirby was sentenced to nine years in prison, six years for the manslaughter death of Lewis and three additional years for Great Bodily Injury to Lacey White. Due to the GBI charge, Kirby will have to serve a minimum 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole. Even with good behavior and credit for time served, he can expect to leave prison in approximately five years. Today’s proceedings began with Toohey speaking on the large number of victim impact statements he has received from family, friends and members of the MMA community.
Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez stated he has received more than a hundred messages testifying to the influence “Mask” Lewis had had in their lives. “Every state. Other countries. The military. It was more than I’ve had in any other case,” Baez stated. “These things matter. They let the judge know all the facets of his life. Not just a piece of paper on his desk, but a full life.” Before delivering his sentence, Judge Toohey requested the victim impact statements. First to speak was Dan Caldwell, of Tapout. Caldwell spoke on developing a trusting friendship with Lewis almost 20 years ago. “Charles was like a big brother to me,” he said. “He shaped my life more than any other person ever has.” Caldwell also testified about how devastating Lewis’ death has been, both personally and professionally.
The next statement was given by Charles David Lewis III to speak about the loss of his brother. He recalled the suffering the family has endured since the tragic night of the March 2009 car crash. He also recalled the first time he heard about his brother’s death was on television, looking at the shattered ruins of his brother’s Ferrari and hearing his brother’s name in shock and disbelief. “I cried like a baby,” he said. “I thank God for the time I had with him.”
Lacy Lynn White, Mask’s passenger on the night in question, described the devastation of the physical and emotional injuries with which she has lived with since the night of the crash. She spoke on her suffering but, she told the court the degree of difficulty coping with the loss of Lewis was impossible to put into words. She also stated Kirby’s actions as being “irresponsible and selfish” and that Lewis’ friends and family had been robbed forever of his smile and his laugh. The final statement came from Kaya Lewis, Mask’s older sister, she spoke movingly about her brother and you could still feel and hear her pain to this day. She said her brother had been an answer to her childhood prayers for a sibling and playmate of her own. She went on speaking on his being a wonderful brother, a devoted uncle, and also an inspiration to all who ever knew him. She also called for the adoption of a new driving law – the Charles “Mask” Lewis law – A law that will insure stricter punishments for repeat offenders for drunk driving and then quoted 2 Corinthians 12:7: “I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” “I know what it is to live with a thorn in my flesh, to be tormented,” she said. “I know what it means to cry every day.”
After the conclusion of the statements, the prosecution asked Judge Toohey for the maximum sentence: 13 years in state prison to be dealt to Jeffery Kirby. However, the defense presented friends and family to speak to Toohey on Kirby’s behalf. They spoke of his goodness and strong religious faith before asking that leniency be shown. Kirby also read a statement expressing his remorse to the Lewis family and said he was “lost in grief and shame.” Members of both men’s families wept for much of the proceedings. “It is clear to this court that we are dealing with two men, both greatly loved,” Toohey went on to state from his bench. “In reviewing the documentation, I’m struck by the thought that if these two men had just stopped a block earlier, maybe shared a table at Starbucks, that that would have been a very interesting conversation.”
In 1997, Lewis and his two friends began selling mixed martial arts apparel from the back of their Mustang. By 2007, they had a company named TapouT which had a revenue of $22.5 million, with a 2009 target of $225 million. Lewis was known as “Mask” because of stripes of face paint he frequently wore. As a tribute to his contributions to the UFC and mixed martial arts, Mask has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at UFC 100 Fan Expo. Charles “Mask” Lewis has inspired many to make a difference for the better including myself and he will be forever missed. But never forget his time on this planet as it reminds us of how to live life to the fullest because it can be over abruptly.