Kevin Lewis — 2015 Everett murder-for-hire of Alisha Canales-McGuire

Overview

After his marriage to Amanda Canales collapsed, Kevin Lewis hired a hitman in 2015 to kill Amanda at her home in Everett, Washington. The hitman shot Amanda's sister, Alisha Canales-McGuire, who was at the home — a case of mistaken identity that resulted in Alisha's death. The case is profiled in the Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever, Season 1 Episode 4 ("Married to a Monster"), and represents one of the most disturbing murder-for-hire plots documented in the series.

Lewis's Pattern of Behavior

Kevin Lewis exhibited controlling and threatening behavior during his marriage to Amanda Canales in Everett, Washington. According to court records from Snohomish County and reporting by the Everett Herald, Lewis's conduct escalated as the marriage deteriorated. The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines his pattern of behavior as context for understanding how a domestic dispute escalated to a murder-for-hire conspiracy.

When Amanda Canales separated from Lewis, his response was not acceptance but escalation. The Worst Ex Ever episode traces this trajectory from domestic conflict to calculated violence, presenting Lewis's case as an extreme example of how intimate-partner abusers can escalate to lethal action when they lose control over their victims in Everett, Washington.

The Murder-for-Hire

Kevin Lewis hired a hitman to kill his estranged wife Amanda Canales at her home in Everett, Washington in 2015. The conspiracy involved financial transactions and intermediaries designed to insulate Lewis from direct connection to the killing. Lewis arranged payment through channels that investigators later traced to establish his role as the architect of the murder plot.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever details the mechanics of the murder-for-hire, examining how Lewis identified and compensated the individuals who would carry out the killing. The true crime episode presents the conspiracy as evidence of premeditation and the lengths to which Lewis was willing to go to eliminate his estranged wife.

The Mistaken Identity

When the hired gunman arrived at the Everett, Washington location to carry out Lewis's plot, he encountered Amanda's sister, Alisha Canales-McGuire, instead of Amanda. Due to the mistaken identity, the hitman shot and killed Alisha. The tragic error meant that an innocent woman — who had no involvement in the domestic dispute between Lewis and Amanda — lost her life.

The Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines the mistaken-identity element as one of the most devastating aspects of the case. The true crime episode explores how the error compounded the tragedy, leaving the Canales family grieving a loss that was never intended for Alisha.

The Investigation

The investigation into Alisha Canales-McGuire's murder was conducted by Snohomish County detectives in Everett, Washington. Investigators worked to establish the connection between the shooting and Kevin Lewis, tracing the murder-for-hire plot through financial records, communications, and witness testimony. The case took years to build, reflecting the complexity of proving a conspiracy that involved multiple intermediaries.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines the investigative process, detailing how Snohomish County law enforcement pieced together the evidence linking Lewis to the killing despite his efforts to maintain distance from the actual shooting in Everett, Washington.

The 2021 Trial

Kevin Lewis was tried for the first-degree murder of Alisha Canales-McGuire in Snohomish County Superior Court in 2021 — six years after the killing. Prosecutors presented evidence of the murder-for-hire conspiracy, and a Snohomish County jury convicted Lewis of first-degree murder. The conviction brought accountability for a crime that had devastated the Canales family and the Everett, Washington community.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever covers the trial as the culmination of a years-long pursuit of justice. The true crime episode includes testimony from Amanda Canales and examines the emotional impact of the verdict on the family.

The Worst Ex Ever Episode

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever features the Kevin Lewis case as Season 1 Episode 4 ("Married to a Monster"), using the Everett, Washington murder-for-hire as a powerful closing statement for the first season. The episode examines how domestic violence can escalate to calculated murder and how the consequences of such violence extend far beyond the immediate relationship. The true crime series presents the case as one of the most complex and devastating stories in its catalog.

Legal proceedings

Lewis was charged with first-degree murder for Alisha Canales-McGuire's killing. A Snohomish County jury convicted him in 2021. His case was subsequently profiled in Worst Ex Ever Season 1 Episode 4 ("Married to a Monster").

Timeline

1. 2015

   Kevin Lewis hires a hitman to kill his estranged wife Amanda Canales in Everett, Washington. The hitman kills Amanda's sister Alisha Canales-McGuire by mistake.

2. 2021

   Snohomish County jury convicts Lewis of first-degree murder.

People involved

• Kevin Lewis — Perpetrator. Kevin Lewis is the Everett, Washington man convicted of first-degree murder in 2021 for hiring a hitman to kill Alisha Canales-McGuire — the sister of his estranged wife Amanda Canales — in a 2015 shooting.
• Amanda Canales — Survivor. Amanda Canales is the Everett, Washington survivor whose estranged husband Kevin Lewis was convicted in 2021 of hiring a hitman to murder her sister, Alisha Canales-McGuire.
• Alisha Canales-McGuire — Victim. Alisha Canales-McGuire was the Everett, Washington woman murdered by a hitman hired by Kevin Lewis in 2015 — a killing for which Lewis was convicted of first-degree murder in 2021.

Legal proceedings

Kevin Lewis

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