A forgiving daughter handed her mother’s killer a second chance with a job—only for him to slaughter her in the exact same house nearly three decades later.
Story Snapshot
- Travis Lewis, 16, killed wealthy Sally Snowden Beck and Lee Baker in a 1996 Arkansas robbery-homicide.
- Sally’s daughter Martha McKay forgave Lewis, aided his 2018 parole, and employed him post-prison.
- On September 10, 2025, Lewis murdered McKay in the Snowden House, then drowned fleeing the scene.
- Forensics and witnesses nailed Lewis in 1996; his recidivism exposes parole pitfalls.
- Case reignites debates on forgiveness versus public safety in small-town America.
1996 Double Murder in Horseshoe Lake
Travis Lewis, age 16, targeted the Snowden House in Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas, on September 10, 1996. He murdered Sally Snowden Beck, a prominent wealthy resident, and her husband Lee Baker, 51, during a robbery. Lewis had previously stolen video games from Baker in an incident settled quietly. Deputies discovered the victims after tracing a car crash; Lewis’s palm print on the stolen red Toyota Camry sealed his link to the crime.
Lewis’s Conviction and Long Imprisonment
Authorities arrested Lewis soon after the murders. He partially confessed, implicating an uncharged accomplice named Andre, whose alibi later held up without forensics tying him in. Prosecutors tried Lewis as an adult on two counts of capital murder. A weak alibi from his mother, Gladis Lewis, failed against witness sightings and fingerprint evidence. Courts sentenced him to over two decades behind bars.
Martha McKay’s Radical Forgiveness
Martha McKay, Sally’s daughter and around 63 by 2025, embraced Christian forgiveness toward Lewis. She advocated for or assisted his 2018 parole from the Arkansas Parole Board. McKay went further, providing employment and support to help him reintegrate into society. This power dynamic placed the paroled killer under her influence in the vulnerable post-prison phase. Small-town ties amplified the irony of a victim’s kin aiding the perpetrator.
Fatal Recidivism at Snowden House
September 10, 2025—almost 29 years after the first killings—Lewis allegedly murdered McKay inside the same historic Snowden House. Deputies arrived to find her dead. Lewis jumped from a window, crashed his car in the yard, then plunged into a nearby lake and drowned. Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office recovered both bodies, sending them to the Arkansas medical examiner for autopsies. No murder weapon surfaced; investigation continues without charges since Lewis died.
Daughter forgave her mother’s killer & gave him a job after he was released. He killed her too.
byu/sanjari inTrueCrimeDiscussion
Parole Risks and Conservative Lessons
This tragedy underscores rehabilitation limits for violent young offenders with robbery histories. McKay’s forgiveness aligned with restorative justice ideals, yet Lewis repaid kindness with brutality in the original crime scene. Facts reveal parole boards overlooked recidivism signals despite victim family input. Common sense demands prioritizing public safety over unchecked mercy; American conservative values affirm tough sentences protect communities, not endless second chances for capital murderers.
Sources:
Arkansas woman murdered by same person who murdered her mother 23 years ago
