HARRIS COUNTY, TX - After finding out that he was going to spend 50 years in prison, a man charged with murder allegedly punched his lawyer square in the face.
The defendant, 27-year-old Jaquarius Lewis, was charged with murdering 40-year-old Quincy Johnson in April 2024, according to a press release from the Houston Police Department. He pleaded guilty this past January and appeared in court on Tuesday, April 28, for his sentencing, Law & Crime reported.
He was sentenced to 50 years in prison. After learning his fate, he turned and punched his lawyer in the face. "At that point, apparently, now I was out … my client hit me in the face, and people in the courtroom say that I fell back," Houston-area defense attorney John Petruzzi said. "I was standing, I fell back against the chair, and then I hit a counter and hit the back of my head."
"I don't remember any of that," Petruzzi added, saying he regained consciousness to find himself surrounded by bailiffs and paramedics. Someone then reportedly asked him, "Do you realize that your client just punched you in the face?"
The attorney said he was "shocked" as he's been a defense attorney for a "long time" and had never before been hit by a client. Thankfully, he was not seriously injured in the alleged attack. Lewis now reportedly faces a new charge: injury to an individual who is at least 65 years of age.
On April 18, 2024, around 7:00 p.m., Johnson was standing outside on his balcony when "two male suspects walked by and shot him," police said. Officers responded to the scene and found the victim unresponsive in his apartment.
Law enforcement investigated and developed two suspects. Police said they identified Lewis as the shooter and arrested him on May 3, 2024. The other man "was questioned and released without charges." Lewis reportedly asked the court for a new attorney and to dismiss his court-appointed attorney, Petruzzi, on December 26, 2025.
It is unclear if Lewis will face more time in prison due to the new charge.
The defendant, 27-year-old Jaquarius Lewis, was charged with murdering 40-year-old Quincy Johnson in April 2024, according to a press release from the Houston Police Department. He pleaded guilty this past January and appeared in court on Tuesday, April 28, for his sentencing, Law & Crime reported.
He was sentenced to 50 years in prison. After learning his fate, he turned and punched his lawyer in the face. "At that point, apparently, now I was out … my client hit me in the face, and people in the courtroom say that I fell back," Houston-area defense attorney John Petruzzi said. "I was standing, I fell back against the chair, and then I hit a counter and hit the back of my head."
"I don't remember any of that," Petruzzi added, saying he regained consciousness to find himself surrounded by bailiffs and paramedics. Someone then reportedly asked him, "Do you realize that your client just punched you in the face?"
The attorney said he was "shocked" as he's been a defense attorney for a "long time" and had never before been hit by a client. Thankfully, he was not seriously injured in the alleged attack. Lewis now reportedly faces a new charge: injury to an individual who is at least 65 years of age.
On April 18, 2024, around 7:00 p.m., Johnson was standing outside on his balcony when "two male suspects walked by and shot him," police said. Officers responded to the scene and found the victim unresponsive in his apartment.
Law enforcement investigated and developed two suspects. Police said they identified Lewis as the shooter and arrested him on May 3, 2024. The other man "was questioned and released without charges." Lewis reportedly asked the court for a new attorney and to dismiss his court-appointed attorney, Petruzzi, on December 26, 2025.
It is unclear if Lewis will face more time in prison due to the new charge.
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