Predator Douses Girlfriend's Daughter, 10, With Bleach After Sexually Assaulting Minor

A Tampa predator, who reportedly doused his girlfriend's minor daughter with bleach in an attempt to destroy any evidence after sexually assaulting the 10-year-old girl, has been sentenced to life in prison on Monday, June 28.

Lewis Matthews, 43, has been found guilty of four separate felonies following a three-day trial earlier in June, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

On April 13, 2019, the night of the incident, the 10-year-old victim reportedly fell asleep on their living room floor, the girl recounted to investigators and the court. She said that Matthews, her mother's boyfriend at the time, shook her awake around 3:30 am before forcing her to undress and then sexually molesting her.

Matthews was reportedly caught in the act by the victim's mother who was “stunned by what she discovered” after being jolted awake by the commotion. She immediately alerted 911, prosecutors said.

As the victim's mother was on the phone with the police, Matthews grabbed the underage victim and two other children living in the house before proceeding to drove them to a nearby gas station. At the adjacent convenience store, the sex offender grabbed a bottle of Clorox bleach off a shelf, took the girl into the store’s bathroom, and ordered the victim to remove all her clothing, before allegedly dousing her in bleach in an attempt to get rid of the evidence.

However, police still later recovered traces of Matthews’ DNA on the girl’s body, clothing, and on the bleach-stained underwear he made her throw away in the gas station’s dumpster, Fox News reported.

No friends or family reportedly showed up to speak on Matthews' behalf at the sentencing on Monday, June 28. Judge Kimberly Fernandez imposed a life sentence for sexual battery on a victim younger than 12, an additional five years in prison for tampering with physical evidence, and 25 years each for two felony charges of lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim younger than 12, against the vicious suspect, ABC7 reported.

"It’s heartbreaking to sit in court and watch a victim, who has been sexually abused by someone who is supposed to be caring for her, testify on the stand," Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren said.

“Parents who are sexually abusing kids in their custody—it makes your blood boil,” Warren said. “That’s why we’re aggressively prosecuting cases like these. And that’s why these people deserve to spend the rest of their lives in prison.”