CINCINNATI — A man accused of murdering three people during a birthday party in Millvale will be held on a $3 million bond, a judge decided in court Thursday.
Police arrested 62-year-old James Lewis on Wednesday.
He was indicted July 2 on one count of aggravated murder and six counts of murder for the June 20 shooting. He was also indicted on six counts of felonious assault and one count of having weapons under disability.
At approximately 10:45 p.m. Saturday, Cincinnati police officers were dispatched to the 2200 block of Millvale Court for reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they located three people with gunshot wounds.
WATCH: Lewis appeared in court Thursday and will be held on a $3 million bond
According to Officer Sarah Cronin, who spoke during Lewis's arraignment on Thursday, the people killed that night was a woman hosting a birthday party for herself, along with her cousin and one of her siblings. They have been identified as 38-year-old Kenneth Burton, 53-year-old Theresa Dudley and 41-year-old Brenea Burton.
"This is a horrible, heinous crime that could have been easily prevented," Cronin said. "It was a birthday party for one of the of the victims at her house. There was an argument inside the kitchen. Mr. Lewis shot and killed two inside the kitchen — a brother and a cousin. She then ran out, she was screaming for help. He chased her down and caught up to her and shot her."
Prosecution also said Lewis was not legally allowed to possess a gun, because he'd been convicted of an aggravated robbery charge in the 1980's, for which he served 25 years in prison.
All three people shot were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The judge ordered Lewis be held in the Hamilton County Justice Center on a $3 million bond.
The investigation is ongoing by Cincinnati police's Homicide Unit. Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 513-352-3542.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Lewis's bond as $1 million. The story has been updated to correct the error.
