Who Killed Dennis Lewis?

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A teenager accused of killing his twin brother was freed last week after evidence used against him was negated.

But the question remains: Who killed Dennis Lewis?

On both sides of the case against Derris Lewis, there were investigators.

While police arrested Derris Lewis for his twin's murder, the defense team hired investigators, saying there were other suspects that needed to be investigated.

NBC 4's Marcus Thorpe sat down with Bob Britt and Teresa Edwards, who both examined the evidence and interviewed people they believe had some knowledge of what happened the night of the murder.

Now, Britt and Edwards are waiting to see if police want to meet with them.

"I think we have valuable information. With (Derris' attorney's) permission, we can hand that over to the police and I hope so," Edwards said.

Edwards and Britt said they are confident police can find the killer.

"Do you think the comfort level changed when Derris Lewis walked out of jail?" Thorpe asked Britt.

"Yes, I would think so," Britt said.

"I think the person is in Columbus or the group of people (is) still in Columbus," Edwards said.

As for the investigation, Britt and Edwards said they think it is back to the beginning and wouldn't mind bringing in fresh eyes.

"I think from the time that has transpired, utilizing the detectives operating on cold cases would be beneficial," Britt said.

Edwards said there was much more that could have been done during the initial investigation and might now lead to a killer.

"I know there were a number of witnesses I interviewed that were never interviewed by police," Edwards said.

Both said they hope police will move forward only when ready and when they have everything covered.

"The information to solve the case is going to come from the public. If it was coming from within the department, it would have," Britt said.

The team thinks officials will have a challenge once the case goes back to a jury -- after Derris was arrested initially and then cleared by evidence.

Britt and Edwards said they believe it is crucial for police to engage the public, follow up on old and new leads and look for more evidence to use on a suspect than they did with the so-called bloody handprint.

Dennis was found dead in January 2008 after a home invasion and shooting at a home on Loretta Avenue that he shared with the twins' mother. Dennis' twin, Derris, was arrested on Feb. 13, 2008 after police said his prints matched what was identified as a bloody palm print on a wall at the murder scene.

The case went to trial, but during deliberations, a mistrial was declared because of a death in the family of a juror. Shortly before the case was set to go to trial in August 2009, police conducted further testing on the slab of drywall where the print was found and the impression tested negative for the presence of human blood.

Derris was subsequently released from jail and all charges were dropped.

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