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Murder, attempted murder defendant agrees to plea

Victim’s mother speaks out

By Elijah Decious 4 min read

The Fort Dodge man previously charged with attempted murder and first-degree murder in a Sept. 20 shooting has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, according to a plea agreement filed Thursday.

Denharrio Lewil, 18, pleaded guilty to three amended charges while admitting to shooting at D'ante Whitfield, 22, with a semi-automatic pistol in the 400 block of South 14th Street. Instead of killing Whitfield, Lewil's shots killed his nearby sister, J'Lynn Beason. Beason, 18, died the next day at a Des Moines hospital.

Lewil's plea agreement includes:

• Voluntary manslaughter, a Class C felony

• Reckless use of a firearm resulting in serious injury, a Class C felony

• Carrying weapons, an aggravated misdemeanor

The state has recommended that Lewil be sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of up to 20 years -- consecutive terms up to 10 years for each of the first two charges, and a concurrent term of two years on the third charge. He could also be required to pay fines and criminal surcharges totaling up to nearly $30,000 and restitution of $150,000, unless the court determines he is unable to pay them.

Voluntary manslaughter, a forcible felony, requires a prison sentence. Though Lewil could be eligible for probation on the latter two charges, his plea agreement precludes that possibility.

Lewil said in his plea agreement that plans to pursue a self-defense strategy at trial, as previously planned, would not be viable.

Lewil's attorney has asked that sentences for all three charges run concurrently, meaning he would serve five to 10 years in prison.

To the victim's mother, that didn't seem fair.

"I'm not sure how the law works. (The plea agreement) kind of makes sense, but it doesn't seem fair," said Jenny Whitfield, Beason's mother.

The Davenport resident was shot less than 24 hours into a family visit to Fort Dodge.

Jenny Whitfield said the argument preceding the shooting, previously referenced in criminal complaints, was about someone Lewil and her son had dated. Citing conversations with her son, Jenny Whitfield said he was approaching Lewil's vehicle unarmed when Lewil rolled down his window and started shooting.

Jenny Whitfield arrived that night at UnityPoint Health -- Trinity Regional Medical Center to see her daughter in the hospital she previously worked in as a CNA. Beason's heart stopped four times, she said, as nurses and doctors tried to revive her.

It was a gruesome scene she said nobody, let alone a mother, should have to witness.

"She was shot in her face. It nicked her carotid artery. That right there tells it all," she said. "When I saw her, she had a huge puddle of blood. It's implanted into my mind -- that's all I see when I go to sleep."

But that's not all she will remember her daughter by.

"She loves everybody and anybody. She doesn't speak bad on anyone, always sees the good in everyone." Jenny Whitfield said, speaking of Beason with present tense verbs.

Her family still reels from the death of the victim, who was a calm presence for the family when other blows hit. When Beason's mother had a late miscarriage several years ago, she took photos of the twins, preserving their memory.

"She helped me out, she was the only one strong enough," Jenny Whitfield said, telling The Messenger that even a bullet can't take away the love she has for her children.

First Assistant Webster County Attorney Ryan Baldridge declined to comment on the pending case until after sentencing.

"Unfortunately, as far as the case goes, ethically, we cannot provide a statement regarding the actual details of the case while it is pending," said Baldridge. "As a result we must withhold comment until the sentencing has occurred."

Lewil's guilty plea was accepted by the court on Thursday. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 15.

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