Documented Gang Member Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for 2020 Murder

A member of the 52 Hoover Crips gang, Robert E. Chenier, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of 37-year-old Shaun Lewis in 2020. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg expressed her thoughts on the case, stating, “When a gang member shoots up a house, brutally murders a man and is so confident he will get away with murder that he brags about it, we see exactly how pervasive gun violence is in our community. We mourn for the victim’s family and thank the jury for ending this gang member’s reign of terror.”

Chenier and Lewis were acquainted with each other and had both grown up in the same area. The tragic events unfolded on the night of November 23, 2020, near Houston’s Clinton Park neighborhood. Chenier had a dispute with someone he knew and proceeded to shoot up a house in the area. Subsequently, when encountering Lewis and another man on the street, Chenier confronted them, seemingly with the intention to rob them, and shot Lewis, fatally wounding him.

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Marshall, who prosecuted the case, described the murder as "senseless and callous," emphasizing Chenier's lack of regard for human life. Marshall also highlighted Chenier's disturbing actions after the murder, stating, “In fact, after the murder, he took a photo of his victim and showed it around the neighborhood like a trophy.”

Chenier's actions did not go unnoticed, as investigators from the Houston Police Department swiftly pieced together the events of that fateful night and charged Chenier with murder. The trial concluded with Chenier being convicted by a Harris County jury and subsequently sentenced to 40 years in prison for his heinous crime.