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Mesa Police Seek Negligent Homicide Charge for AG Investigator in Neighbor’s Fatal Shooting

Prosecutors are reviewing the submission to determine whether to file formal counts.

Overview

  • Detectives submitted probable cause to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office against DuLance Morin, 47, in the Feb. 28 death of neighbor Maria Lewis on his Mesa doorstep.
  • Morin, an investigator with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office since 2016, remains on administrative leave during the prosecutorial review.
  • An internal AG’s Office email from Criminal Division Chief Nicholas Klingerman questioned whether the evidence supports negligent homicide and referenced self-defense statutes.
  • Investigators reported Lewis’s DNA on a rock near the door, close-range stippling near her right eye, a bullet casing outside the home, and no visible front-door damage, with limited usable camera footage.
  • Attorney General Kris Mayes called for a careful review and offered condolences to Lewis’s family, while the Fraternal Order of Police publicly supported Morin.