Man headed to trial for the murder of his grandmother

By Javier Hernandez

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    BUTTE COUNTY, California (KHSL) — Kenneth Lewis was held to answer for murder following a preliminary hearing that was done in the Butte County Superior Court about the murder of his grandmother in January 2024, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said.

Lewis was arrested on January 21 after he called the Butte County Sheriff’s Office to report that his grandmother was dead, Ramsey said. Lewis lived with his grandmother in her home in Forbestown.

Deputies and CAL FIRE EMTs contacted Lewis upon arrival, Ramsey said. He told them that he had killed his grandmother.

Authorities then found 80-year-old Violet MacGregor naked and dead in a pool of blood in her bathroom tub, Ramsey said.

Prosecutors presented evidence at Tuesday’s preliminary hearing that deputies who responded to the scene back in January found evidence of a violent struggle in MacGregor’s bedroom, Ramsey said. Sheriff’s deputies also testified and said that there were blood stains on the bed, on the carpet next to the bed and the furniture and walls of MacGregor’s bedroom.

Detectives testified that while they interviewed Lewis, they noticed that his knuckles and hands were swollen and that he had injuries to his feet. Ramsey said. Then during the same interview, Lewis admitted to killing MacGregor by beating her with his fists and then kicking her while she was on the floor of her bedroom.

An autopsy report on MacGregor was also used as evidence at Tuesday’s hearing, Ramsey said. The autopsy showed blunt force trauma to her head and neck as the cause of her death. It also showed injuries to MacGregor’s head, face, beck, a broken hyoid bone and broken teeth.

During Tuesday’s hearing, detectives testified that Lewis told them that on January 20, he went into MacGregor’s room and tried to kiss her goodnight, Ramsey said. But Lewis got mad after she bit his tongue.

Lewis then proceeded to beat MacGregor and then drag her into the tub where he had left her, Ramsey said. Lewis said he heard MacGregor breathing heavily while in the tub but left to go to sleep. Then he said when he woke up and checked on her, she was dead.

But evidence at Tuesday’s hearing revealed that there were bloody paper towels and cleaning wipes in multiple trash cans and blood smears throughout the home, Ramsey said.

The prosecutors argued to the judge that Lewis probably spent time after the attack trying to clean up the evidence of his crime while MacGregor was dying in the tub, Ramsey said.

Superior Court Judge Michael Deems found that the evidence presented by the prosecution was enough to support the single count of murder and to hold Lewis over for trial, Ramsey said.

Lewis remains in custody with $1 million bail, and his next court date is July 10 to set his jury trial date.

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