An Iowa teen convicted of fatally stabbing her alleged rapist has been missing since early April after violating the terms of her probation, and authorities have now issued a nationwide warrant for her arrest.
Pieper Lewis, a 19-year-old sex trafficking survivor, pleaded guilty in September 2022 to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury in the 2020 killing of Zachary Brooks, a 37-year-old Des Moines man she said raped her repeatedly for weeks.
Lewis was sentenced to five years of probation and 600 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to Brooks’ family.
Her case made national headlines and drew outrage from supporters. A GoFundMe campaign started by a former teacher raised approximately $560,000 for her — or nearly four times the amount she was ordered to pay.
In March 2023, she pleaded guilty to escaping the Des Moines Fresh Start Women’s Center, the facility where she was serving her probation term.
In November, Lewis was taken to the House of Cherithr, a residential facility in Atlanta. Ga. that helps victims of sexual exploitation.
Earlier this year, the facility said Lewis was kicked out for “several violations of the house rules,” KCRG reported. She also failed to show up to mandatory probation meetings.
After she was discharged, Lewis was fitted with a GPS monitoring device and instructed to charge its batteries daily. But according to officials, the device died from lack of charge in early April.
After learning Lewis had violated the terms of her probation, the Iowa Department of Corrections issued a nationwide warrant for her arrest.
Her whereabouts have not been known since April 6, officials said.
With News Wire Services
