Who Was Barbara Lewis? Who Poisoned Her?

Who Was Barbara Lewis and ted
Dr. Ted Lewis and Barbara Lewis

Who Was Barbara Lewis? Who Poisoned Barbara Lewis? – When a horrible event permanently ruined Barbara Lewis’ life, she was a respected teacher. A routine drink from the water bottle at the school she worked at one afternoon in December 1993 quickly became life-threatening for her.

Who was in charge of this course of events is the subject of the “Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda: After School Specialon Investigation Discovery. Barbara had to struggle with the continuing effects of poisoning even though she managed to survive. So, if you’re interested in learning more about her, we can help.

Who Was Barbara Lewis
Barbara Lewis

Who Was Barbara Lewis and Who Poisoned Her?

Barbara was raised in West Virginia after being born in New Jersey. She returned to West Virginia after earning her degree from Ohio University in 1962 to begin what would eventually become a successful teaching career. On July 1, 1967, Barbara wed Ted Lewis; they eventually had three kids. She helped him pay for medical school, and after he graduated, the family of five settled in Colorado Springs.

Barbara returned to teaching in 1987 after initially living at home to raise their kids. Barbara was a math teacher at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs. She was respected by her colleagues and adored by both her students and their parents. Barbara drank from her water bottle after leaving an advisory meeting one evening in December 1993.

The water quickly burned Barbara’s hands and caused severe burns in her lips and mouth in addition to her hands. She took a cab to the hospital, where she had an urgent operation. Later, the authorities learned that sodium hydroxide, a caustic chemical also used to clear clogged drains, had contaminated her water. Scott Wade Matheson, a student at the time who was 17 years old, was the offender.

Scott Wade Matheson
Scott Wade Matheson

Scott was penalised at the time for skipping one of Barbara’s classes. Additionally, he has previously been in trouble, according to the show. According to the police, Scott intentionally added the chemical to Barbara’s water because he was upset with her. When no one was watching, he took it from the chemistry lab and dropped it into Barbara’s water. Barbara then took a sip from it without thinking.

Geoffreya, science teacher at Palmer High School said, “I was angry. My parents never seemed consumed by anger, and that was the big lesson from them. My mom was not going to let this stop her from teaching. She was not going to let a mistake by one teenager prevent her from seeing all the potential in other teenagers.”

In August 1994, Matheson was convicted guilty of first-degree assault with a lethal weapon and given an 18-year jail term for adults. The sentence was deferred the next year, and a six-year transfer to Pueblo, a minor offender program for dangerous offenders, was mandated by the judge.

For years afterward, Barbara and Ted Lewis traveled down to Caon City to volunteer at a penitentiary facility, teaching parenting and victim impact programs. Barbara and Ted Lewis pushed for a reduced sentence that placed emphasis on rehabilitation.

Geoffrey Lewis also said, “The message my brother and sister and I got from both my mom and my dad on that, was that there was forgiveness there, but also how can we turn this into something that can help other people? They didn’t make a big deal about it. That was just something that they did.”

How did Barbara Lewis die

What Happened to Barbara Lewis?

Barbara endured several operations, one of which involved replacing her esophagus. But that didn’t stop her; she quickly returned back to teaching and underwent reconstructive surgery. Despite having some health problems as a result of the tragedy, Barbara never let them get in the way of her career or her desire to give back to the community. She only attended Scott’s trial when necessary and declared, “I’m not going to suffer through this all again. I would much rather return to my job. I have a home there.”

Barbara volunteered her time to her church as a member of the outreach community, the culinary staff, and even as its treasurer, in addition to participating in philanthropic organizations. The well-known teacher additionally received Teacher of the Year in 1993. Barbara had a happy life because all of her children and grandkids lived close by.

She retired in 2005, but she kept working as a tutor and substitute teacher up until a few months before she passed away. Barbara passed away on August 17, 2020, at the age of 79, after being diagnosed with myeloproliferative neoplasms, a form of blood cancer, in 2018. Her husband of more than 40 years, Ted, passed away in 2009.

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