An Alabama political operative charged with the murder of a man on Thursday has now been charged with sexual torture.
It’s unclear if the new charge against 36-year-old Kyle Hayden Lewter is related to the death of Derek Franklin Walls, 54, WAFF reported.
The new charge involves sexual abuse using an inanimate object.
Walls was found dead at his home in Harvest after an uncle called police when Walls didn’t answer the door. Deputies found the victim dead in the hallway.
Lewter was listed as a point of contact on the website of Madison County Young Republicans before the organization erased his name. He had also served as campaign chairman for State Sen. Tom Butler, WAFF said.
Butler told the station he was “speechless” after hearing the news of Lewter’s arrest and was “saddened for all families involved.”
AL.com said that he was identified as the chair of the Madison County group in a 2022 social media post, and he told the News-Courier in 2017 that he had worked on the campaigns of former US Rep. Mo Brooks and former US Sen. Jeff Sessions.
Madison County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Brent Patterson told AL.com that the murder was “not related to any political activities that Mr. Lewter was engaged in.”
Investigators said they believe the pair, who knew one another, got into a physical altercation, leading to Walls’ death. The victim was not shot, the sheriff’s office said.
Lewter was given a $60,000 bail on the sexual torture charge.
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[Featured image: Derek Walls/GoFundMe and Kyle Lewter/Madison County Sheriff’s Office]
