More than a year and a half after the murder, a Weld District Court judge Monday afternoon sentenced a former Pierce Town Board member to life in prison without parole, as well as 48 years.
That sentence came about 15 minutes after a jury convicted Daniel Meyer, 34, of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, in connection with the death of his roommate, Tera Lewandowski, in the early hours of Sept. 30, 2015. Six other suspects were arrested as part of the investigation into her death, including Crystal Griffin, 37, Chad Iler, 19, Scott Hanchett, 21, and his 19-year-old sister Karly Hanchett, all of whom testified during Meyer’s weeklong trial. Michael Vassil, 24, was also arrested in connection with Lewandowski’s death, as well as his father, Thomas Hanchett, 57, who police and prosecutors say led the small, improvised biker gang responsible for the killing.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors worked hard to shed light on the gang and its inner workings. Police reports state it was a group Michael Vassil founded with his father, Thomas Vassil, and that Iler and Meyer were members. Karly Hanchett was not a member – she said in court women were not allowed into the gang – but she was Michael Vassil’s fiancee. When Lewandowski got into an argument with her, she said in court, Michael took it as an insult to the whole gang.
Meyer claimed Michael – his best friend at the time – was the driving force behind the killing, and also said he was scared of the younger man. He lied to police, he said Monday in court, because he was covering for his friend. He was supposed to be the “fall guy,” even though, he said, he never stabbed Lewandowski.
Other witnesses disputed that claim in court, including Iler and the Hanchett siblings, and said Meyer did indeed stab Lewandowski in the chest.
In his closing argument Monday, Robert Ray, Meyer’s defense attorney, pointed out those witnesses had accepted plea deals and agreed to testify. He implored the jury not to believe them, and said Meyer was terrified of Michael.
“Mike is the only one with any kind of a reason to want her dead,” Ray said. “There is nothing in this record (of evidence) to show (Meyer) wanted her dead.”
He also said Michael Vassil and Karly Hanchett were the only two people witnesses claimed had blood on them, which, he said, refuted prosecutors’ claims that Meyer stabbed Lewandowski in the chest three times.
“The defendant did not intentionally cause the death of anyone, nor did he want the death to occur,” he said. “Mike, and Mike alone, wanted the death to occur.”
Jerrica Phillips, one of the prosecutors on the case, questioned why, if Meyer was supposed to take the fall for other members of the group, were those people admitting their guilt in court while still implicating Meyer. Scott and Karly Hanchett both admitted to hurting Lewandowski, she said, and said Michael also was involved. She said the jury needed to focus on Meyer instead.
“Mike is a distraction in this case,” Phillips said. “This case is not about Mike Vassil. This case is about (Meyer’s) actions, and (Meyer’s) choices.”
Prosecutors and police shared a tearful embrace with members of Lewandowski’s family after the guilty verdict was read Monday afternoon. Vonda Holt thanked them in her statement before Weld District Court Judge Timothy Kerns handed down the sentence.
“This has been a long time coming,” she said. “There are a lot of people who did the right thing, and they’re all here. They made this happen.”
